From Rise to Fall
by Alaena F. Dragonstar
Summary: Sorcery AUromance OE TF MR. The Seishun Alliance was destroyed by darkness years ago. But it’s the start of a new era with the reappearance of powers thought lost, and from the shadows of one empire new leaders shall emerge to rebuild what was lost.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, BUT THE PLOT AND WORLD ARE MINE! Ha! Anyways…

**NOTICE/WARNINGS (READ!)**: 1) This may or may not contain romance eventually, it depends on how I'm feeling, but if there is, it will be shounan ai. 2) Parts of this prologue are kind of stolen from one of **MY** original stories, so don't be surprised if you find it on accident! Good, now, let's get to the story shall we?

Prologue

Chaos is the one constant in the world, the single, unchangeable element of the universe that can and will last throughout the reign of eternity. There are times when it lulls, brought to a temporary rest by a being or a force that finds s way in the hearts of many to stave off what is impending. But nothing lasts forever, and thus when such an empire is passed from hand to hand, whether through peace or bloodshed, the wave of chaos will crash once more over the world, all the fiercer for its time held captive.

Grim golden green eyes gazed up into the darkening skies with a mixed sensation of anticipation and anxiety. The scent of danger was thick in the air, but it always was these days. Who could say what was worth being concerned over?

The troubles of an empire, he scowled to himself, were never the troubles of one alone.

Turning back to the crackling orange campfire, he pulled his cloak tighter around him, more for something to do than to stave off the cold. The fire's pulsating heat was enough for the time being anyway.

The sun would be rising soon.

He sat still for another minute or so, savoring the temporary peace and quiet that he knew would not last. Then, with a somewhat resigned sigh, he stood and padded over to where his companion lay snoring away.

"Wake up!" he snapped, nudging the prone body with the toe of his boot.

There was no response—not that he had really expected one.

Rolling his eyes, he raised his hands as they began to glow with a faint yellowish light. Grinning rather wickedly, he muttered three select syllables. A stream of ice cold water poured from the air between his hands, cascading in a merciless torrent onto the sleeping figure below.

A yelp of shock and pain rang out through the air as the other boy all but flew out from under the spray, scrambling for the sword that he had laid beside him before falling asleep. He grabbed it and stared around wildly, searching for the enemy.

"Calm down you idiot," the sorcerer dusted his hands off and smirked, "it was your own fault for sleeping so long."

The sopping wet warrior looked from his companion to the sodden ground where he had been lying and back again. Then realization finally dawned.

"Ryoma!" he fumed, buckling his sword belt and sheathing the blade, "I thought I already asked you not to do that!"

Ryoma shrugged nonchalantly as he knelt down to put out the fire, "I said I wouldn't if there was no reason to, Momo."

"And there was reason!"

"Of course," Ryoma kicked dirt over the ashes and waited while his companion gathered their supplies, "it's the only alarm clock that you ever listen to. Now hurry up, we've got a long way to go and very little time to travel it."

"Right, right," Momo grumbled, slinging the pack over his shoulder and casting one last look around their campsite to make sure they hadn't left any traces of their passing, "the mission awaits, I know. Sheesh, why is it our job anyway? I mean, if the sorcerers really want to find these people, why didn't they send one of the masters? It'd be a heck of a lot easier on us!"

"What part of 'they are in hiding' do you not understand?"

"But you're a sorcerer, wouldn't it be just as dangerous for you then?"

"No," Ryoma sighed, wondering how many times they had had this conversation, "they wouldn't recognize me. On the other hand, if my father or Master Sumire was to go waltzing around the countryside they wouldn't get ten feet without being identified."

"I still say they'd be faster at it."

"Momo?"

"What?"

"Shut up."

TBC

A.N. I know this doesn't say much yet, but that's why it's the prologue. Anyway, I'll explain later. Truth to tell, I'm just growing the idea now too. Oh yeah, and the other characters will be showing up soon.


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Same as before.

**Notes**: Well, I wasn't actually expecting anyone to read this, but hey I'm glad you two did. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1

Bright blue eyes glittered from the shadows as their owner stood silently beside the half open window. But a moment later they were hidden behind closed eyes and a fringe of honey brown hair as a smile slid into place on the pale face—a smile that was open and cheerful as well as secretive all at once. It was an expression that could be somewhat on the disconcerting side, or so he'd been told many times.

A soft knock on the door drew his attention back from the bleak gray sky outside. Turning towards the door he relaxed slightly as he recognized the aura of the one who had knocked.

"It's not locked, Eiji," he called to the closed door before returning to his quiet survey of the town through his window.

The door popped open the moment he said it could and a slightly taller youth with rather flamboyant red hair came bursting in. He was dressed plainly like any of the other people walking down the street outside, but the cheerful grin on his face was rare as anything in this day and time.

"Fuji! I got it!" he exclaimed excitedly the moment the door clicked back into place behind him, brandishing a rolled up piece of paper so enthusiastically that it wouldn't have surprised his companion to see it rip, "I got it! I got it! And it's complete this time!"

Fuji waited patiently for his friend to finish bubbling. It took a few minutes, but that was counted short for the exuberant redhead.

"Anyway," Eiji continued, handing the parchment to his friend, "the dealer person said that his father gave it to him—and since he looked kinda gray and grizzly I assumed it'd be old enough to be the right time. Can you tell if it's real? If it's not I'm gonna go right back there this instant and give the old man a piece of my mind!"

A thin sliver of blue appeared briefly before the smile widened, "Don't worry, it's real this time. You see this?"

Eiji leaned closer and eyed the small design he had noticed earlier but thought little of. It was a circle with a circle of twelve stars inside surrounding what appeared to be a snowflake and a flame. Turning his head from side to side, he squinted at it some more before straightening and pulling a face.

"What is it, nyah? Looks kinda weird."

"It's a seal," Fuji explained, "it marks the map as having been created by the Sorcerien."

"So I got it right!"

"Yes, you did," Fuji laughed as his friend did a little victory jig, "but that means we have to get going."

"Huh?' pausing for a moment at the sudden seriousness in his companion's tone, Eiji tilted his head to one side, "Is something wrong, nyah? I thought we could rest a few days once we got here!"

"I thought so too," Fuji cast a last glance out the window with open blue eyes that seemed to flash with a brief light, "we're still being followed."

"Oh man," the redhead's shoulders slumped and he pouted, shooting the window a glare, "I thought we lost them, nyah! This isn't fair nyah! What did we ever do wrong?"

"It doesn't matter what we did," Fuji reminded him, pulling the hood of his deep blue cloak over his head, effectively hiding his face, "we are what we are. That's all they need to know."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Wow! So this is the city!" Momoshiro Takeshi gazed around him in awe, bright violet eyes practically sparkling.

His shorter companion rolled his eyes and tugged irritably on his cloak.

"Stop gaping," he snapped, "you look like a idiot. People are staring."

"Aw, come on Ryoma, why can't a just look around? I mean, it's our first time here! Aren't you the least bit interested?"

"No."

"You can't really mean that!"

"Oh yes I can, now move it! We're supposed to meet one of Master Sumire's informants, remember?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Jeez! You sure are grouchy today."

The two continued to bicker as they moved down the open city street, trailing stares and whispers all the way.

The city was only a medium sized one, a collection of scattered buildings varying in size from unimaginably short to three or four stories high. Even so though, to two people who had grown up in a secluded little town far up in the mountains, it felt enormous—and extremely crowded.

There were people everywhere-literally. Street side stalls marched up and down every street, their stained and worn wood sagging like tired soldiers as their ragged canopies flapped lifelessly in the wind. People hurried in and out of every building and rushed up and down the streets, none of them looking as though they had the leisure or inclination to take things one step at a time.

Yes, it was indeed large, but the entire thing reeked of oppression…of dejection and those who have long lost the energy to care about anything but surviving.

"There's something wrong here," he murmured to himself, green gold eyes sweeping from one side of the street to the other uneasily.

"Yeah…" Momo agreed, somewhat subdued as the air of the place started to sink in, "I guess home really is better."

Ryoma snorted, turning his head to casually scan each of the passersby. His eyes were immediately caught by a tall youth with messy brown hair standing before one of the stalls. He was wearing a long, black coat, a plain and indistinguishable piece of clothing that anyone could be wearing. But as he turned away from the stall, Ryoma caught a glimpse of sharp, hazel brown eyes that locked momentarily with his own through oval spectacles before their owner strode away down the street.

"Hey! There it is!" Momo exclaimed, and grabbing a hold of his friend's arm he all but dragged the startled sorcerer down the street towards a small house with a green painted door and a brass doorknocker shaped like the head of some bird of prey. They skidded to a halt just outside the front yard, which was overflowing with strange plants that neither had ever even heard of before.

Glaring at the swordsman, Ryoma yanked his arm out of his excited friend's overly strong grip and pushed open the low, wrought iron gate. Navigating their way through the wild vegetation was like trying to walk carefully through thick mud. Path? What path? There was no evidence that any such thing had ever existed in the yard, let alone that it still might be there. Eventually they elected to simply walk straight through and try their best to trample as few plants as possible.

Then again, these rough and bizarre plants looked hardier than most people did.

It took the duo a full ten minutes to battle their way across the tiny front yard to the door where the bird's head knocker leered at them as though it couldn't believe these two humans were so inept.

"Man," Momo complained, pulling thorns from where they had lodged in various undesirable places, "what kind of a person is this? What kind of a GARDEN is this?"

"A sensible one."

He yelped and jumped backwards, nearly knocking Ryoma off of the porch and back into the miniature jungle. The door had opened and there was a tall man with short, spiky hair standing framed in the dark doorway. Thick, square rimmed glasses glinted at them in a far from reassuring way.

Momo gulped and edged as far away from the stranger as he could get without falling off of the porch.

Sighing, Ryoma looked up at the man in the doorway, "Are you the Observer?"

For a long moment the man stood and continued to stare at them, then he turned and gestured that they should follow him. Stepping over the threshold without hesitation, the young sorcerer found himself standing in a dimly lit hall. There was a cry from outside and Momo scrambled in after him just as the door thudded solidly shut.

The sound was very final.

"Please follow me," the man they assumed to be the Observer mentioned by Master Sumire padded silently down the hall, not bothering to check whether or not they had listened to his instructions.

The house was eerily quiet and dark, permeated with cool, slightly moist air. Dark floorboards creaked slightly under their feet, making everything feel darker still. A row of flower pots stood on either side of the hall, their leafy green occupants spilling out onto the floor and forcing those walking past to tread with care.

The hall opened out into a large room—also overflowing with plants—where a circular table stood on a motled green rug. Four, straight-backed chairs stood around this table, awaiting visitors. A large set of glass doors could be seen past these in the opposite wall, letting in the only light in the house and revealing an even wilder garden beyond.

"Please have a seat," the Observer gestured to the chairs before disappearing through a door to their left. They could hear the clinking of kitchenware and the sound of something bubbling.

"Man is this place weird," Momo muttered to himself, examining one of the chairs carefully before sitting down, "what's _that_ anyway?"

Ryoma took the seat to his left and followed his gaze to the large flower bulb sprouting from the round, black pot that sat proudly in the center of the table. It was larger than most flower bulbs he had ever seen—and blue on the _outside_ to boot. Furthermore, it only had two leaves, both of which were long, shriveled looking things that draped over the sides of the pot to lay on the table's dark, polished surface.

"Looks like a plant to me," he declared, resting one elbow on the table and propping his chin in his hand, looking bored.

"Yeah, I know that. But…" leaning forward slightly, Momo poked at the monstrous bulb, "what kind of plant—"

He was cut off abruptly as said plant suddenly opened to reveal rows of gleaming, very sharp looking teeth. With a hiss, it lunged for his hand. With a yelp, Momo trew himself backwards, tripping over his chair and landing in the embrace of a large flowerbed. Crying out again, he scrambled quickly out of the plants in case one of them decided to open up jaws too and stared in horror at the toothy mouth still trying to reach him from the table.

"Behave!"

The Observer had reappeared from the kitchen with a tray in one hand and a long spoon in the other. He whacked the 'flower' on the stem just below the bulb. It whined slightly in disappointment but drew back and closed back into its blue bulb.

Setting the tray on the table, the Observer poured three cups from the silver pitcher he had brought, not seeming to notice the strange looks both sorcerer and warrior were giving him.

"Have a drink," he suggested, placing two of the glasses before his two visitors, "and we can talk."

Momo sat down, eyeing the plant warily, and reached for his glass. Picking it up, he stopped abruptly as he realized that the liquid inside the glass was purple—of all colors—and bubbling gelatinously.

"What is this?" Ryoma asked suspiciously, not touching his cup.

"Just a little something I make myself," the Observer smiled, glasses glinting, "don't worry, it's perfectly safe to drink, and very good for the health as well."

As if to prove his point, he raised his own cup and sipped.

"So," he continued, setting his glass back down, "it's Ryoma Echizen, apprentice to Master Sumire, and Takeshi Momoshiro, is it not?"

Momo blinked in surprise, "How did you know?"

The Observer smirked slightly, "I know a lot of things."

"Well," Ryoma curled his fingers around his cup and tilted his head slightly to one side, "since you know who we are, isn't it only fair to tell us who you are?"

"Ah yes, of course. Sadaharu Inui, otherwise known as the Observer. But surely you already knew that. So tell me, what did Master Sumire Ryuzaki send you here to ask me?"

The sorcerer arched an eyebrow, "I thought you said you knew many things."

Inui just chuckled, "Many but not all."

"Well," Ryoma paused briefly, considering his words carefully, "I'm assuming that—since you know Master Sumire—that you know the Sorcerien?"

"Of course," Inui nodded, "banished when the Seishun Alliance was defeated, assumed to have all been killed in the last battle that signaled the rise of the Empire, but actually in hiding where they continue to train and build their strength."

"Yes. Well, Lady Shiba, our seer, recently discovered several powerful but unknown magical signatures."

"And?'

"That was all Master Sumire told us before sending us and a few other groups to look for them."

"Hmm… So you wish to know if I can tell you where those you seek are."

"Ryoma nodded.

"Then—"

"Argh!"

Momo's shout broke into the conversation and both sorcerer and Observer turned in unison to find him doubled up in his chair, clutching at his throat. His face had taken on a sickly shade of green and his cup of purple potion had tipped over, spilling its bubbling contents over the edge of the table and onto the floor where it was forming a puddle in the rug.

Ryoma blinked, "Momo?"

His friend gasped wordlessly, waving one arm around like a drowning man seeking a lifeline while the other hand continued to clutch at his throat. Then he keeled over to the side and onto the floor in a dead faint.

Inui tapped his chin thoughtfully as Ryoma jumped off of his chair to kneel beside his friend, checking for a heartbeat.

"Oh dear."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Bleary, dark violet eyes blinked slowly open accompanied by a loud groan.

"What happened?" he asked hoarsely, trying to clear his vision. Why was his throat so dry?

A blurry shape moved into his line of sight, bending down to examine his eyes more carefully.

"You drank some of the Observer's home made juice," was the sour reply spoken in a voice he was all too familiar with, "apparently it didn't agree with you and you passed out."

"That wasn't juice," Momo grumbled, rubbing at his eyes and levering himself strenuously up into a sitting position, "that was poison!"

He appeared to be sitting on a thick, rush mat. The room around him was an unfamiliar one but filled with the same musky, vegetation-ridden atmosphere as the rest of Inui's house.

"If it were, he wouldn't have drank it himself," Ryoma pointed out, "Can you travel?"

"Travel?"

The sorcerer rolled his eyes, "We need to leave as quickly as possible."

"Oh, right," Momo winced, "I think I can travel. I just don't EVER want to see that concoction again."

"Good," Ryoma stood up and turned towards the door, "come on."

They were greeted in the hallway by Inui who escorted them back to the front door. The three of them stepped outside onto the porch.

"Thank you for your help," Ryoma told the Observer, "we'll be going now then."

"No problem. Just hold on a second," bending down, Inui pulled three packs out of the corner they had been sitting in and closed the door. Straightening, he handed one to Ryoma, one to Momo, and slung the last over his own shoulder.

"Now we're ready."

There was a moment of utter silence.

"You're coming too?" Momo gaped in disbelief.

"Of course," Inui fished out his keys and locked the front door, "I can sense that your journey is going to be an interesting one. And something tells me it will mark the beginning of a great change. It is my job to take note of all such things."

The swordsman sighed, "I was afraid you'd say that."

**TBC**

**Notes**:

Names: Everyone who has been friends for a while will call each other by first name because this world is set up that way, except for Momoshiro, who likes to be called Momo, Tezuka, and Fuji, whose reasons will show up later.

Feel free to ask questions, though things should clear up later on.


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer**: Same as ever 

**Notes**: I have finally made up my mind that this will be romance in case you wanted to know.

Chapter 2

"We will proceed on our own from here on," the stern, commanding voice cut through the stuffy, shadow filled air like a bright, steel blade, "your people hinder our progress as it is."

The tall man dressed in an army uniform bristled at the youth's words. He longed to seize his sword and teach the kid a lesson, but he knew how much danger accompanied that action—which, of course, sat even less well with his proud mind than anything that had been said. To think that he was actually afraid of this—this _impertinent_ young man because of the very powers that marked the people of his ilk as having no place anymore.

Still, he couldn't just stand there and let himself be ordered around by an outcast.

"My men know what they are supposed to do," he announced stiffly, "they are there to make sure you do your job."

"We will get it done," was the cold reply as hard, hazel brown eyes narrowed, "as long as you lot keep your end of the bargain."

"Then you should not object to being accompanied. So just accept it already and allow us to continue."

"Do not presume to give me orders," the youth turned towards the door and started walking, "do not send your men if you wish them to return to you. Come on, Syuichiroh."

He proceeded to walk right out of the room without so much as a backward glance. His green-eyed companion moved out of the corner where he had been standing nervously to follow after him.

"Should we follow them, Sir?" an anxious soldier asked shakily.

His leader's lips thinned but he shook his head jerkily, "No. To do that would be to sign our own executions."

"Oh…" the soldier looked relieved. He didn't want to have to tail a sorcerer, let alone one who didn't want to be tailed. Better to leave that kind of dealings to the Elite.

Crossing his arms, the officer glared at the closed door. The day the rest of those inhuman creatures were dealt with and gone… Well, it couldn't come fast enough for him.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Tezuka!" Syuichiroh Oishi called as he hurried to catch up to his friend, "Are you sure that was a good idea? Talking to them like that, I mean. The officer looked kind of mad."

"Would you rather have them following us?"

"Well—no, but… I mean…" he sighed, "it doesn't seem prudent."

"What is done, is done."

"I know…" green eyes turned to wander down the city street, following the progress of the inhabitants as they hurried from place to place, "Tezuka… Are we really going to do this? I mean…"

Tezuka glanced at him, stern expression never changing, "What about your parents?"

"I—I want to help them, of course I do. But…do you really think the Elite would let them go if we brought this pendant thing back to them?"

Hazel brown eyes closed briefly, "No, I don't."

Oishi blinked, startled, "But then… Why?"

"Nothing will ever get accomplished if people did not try," was the quiet reply, "we'll find a way."

A sad but grateful smile made its way onto Oishi's face, "Thanks…"

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Where are we going, Inui?" Ryoma questioned, turning to look up at the tall man who had basically invited himself to join them.

"To see a friend of mine," Inui replied casually, "He's a healer. I have some things I wish to get from him before we leave."

'Hope he's not as freaky," Momo muttered from where he was walking behind the two, all too keen to keep his distance from the Observer and the memory of his foul concoction.

"Freaky?" Inui repeated blandly, a wicked grin flashing briefly across his features, "Whatever do you mean?"

Momo rolled his eyes but decided that it would probably be a better idea to refrain from commenting. Who knew what someone like _that_ would come up with if offended? Not that he looked like he _could_ be offended.

"Over here," Inui announced suddenly, turning down a narrow alley and following it for several yards before he stopped in front of a plain, wooden door. There was a window set into the brick wall to its right, but the curtains beyond had been pulled shut and nothing could be seen.

Raising his hands to rap sharply on the door, Inui paused as said door swung inward with a soft creak, an expression of surprise flickering across his face before it was replaced with a speculative look. Stepping over the threshold into the lightless room beyond, he disappeared into the shadowy interior.

Trading glances, Ryoma and Momoshiro followed, the latter insisting on taking the lead. Pausing in the doorway to let their eyes adjust, they found themselves standing in a small but neatly organized living room. Several overstuffed couches stood around a small, glass table that crouched on curved, lime green legs. The slightly worn floorboards were covered in a threadbare carpet that showed the faded markings of floral patterns that must once have been beautiful. A round clock hung opposite the door, ticking away as its flat, pale face stared across at the intruders. There was an entryway directly beneath the clock, hung with multicolored drapes that were swaying slightly after having been pushed aside to allow Inui through.

"This place is deserted," Momo muttered uneasily. The emptiness of the place was pressing down around them like a thick layer of dust.

"Only recently though," Ryoma noted, running his fingers over the spotless surface of the table before heading for the cloth obscured doorway, "let's find Inui."

The Observer was standing at the counter of what appeared to be a small kitchen, thick glasses glinting even in the dim light cast by the candle he now held.

"So where's the healer you mentioned?" Ryoma asked, scanning the room and peering into the dark hall beyond.

"It would seem he has departed," Inui frowned slightly, "but he never told me he was leaving…"

"Big surprise," Momo muttered under his breath, "I certainly wouldn't tell you if I were leaving."

Turning towards the cupboard, Inui started to rummage through its contents, extracting several packets of varying colors. He then proceeded to pack them all into his traveling pack, pausing as his fingers encountered a folded note amidst the packages.

Opening it, he scanned the familiar handwriting, "Interesting…"

"Can I see?"

Accepting the note, Ryoma frowned down at the writing:

Sorry for not giving you a heads up about leaving, but I have some really important business to attend to with my brother. I'll come visit when we get back.

—Syuichiroh Oishi

"What's so interesting about it?" he asked, looking up from the note. It seemed rather clear cut to him.

Inui turned to stare thoughtfully into the shadow filled corners, "Oishi doesn't have a brother."

"Oh," Ryoma nodded, bemused.

Momo chuckled from where he was still standing in the doorway, "I'd say that that is a good reason."

"Tell me," Inui turned suddenly to Ryoma, "can you sense anything here?"

"Huh?'

"Any traces of spells, perhaps?"

"Hmm…" closing his eyes, Ryoma let his senses drift outward, feeling the air around them like it was a layer of soft river clay that he was searching for footprints, "yes… It's not very clear though. Someone was wiping the traces, but they must have had to leave partway through the spell or something. Does that help?"

Inui nodded slowly, "I remember that Oishi once mentioned a friend he grew up with. I got the impression that this friend of his might have been sorcery gifted, though he never really said as much."

"A sorcerer?" Momo repeated.

"Yes," slinging his pack back over his shoulder, Inui smirked at his two younger companions, "it looks like we have found our first quest."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"I want this one!" the excited exclamation echoed loudly up and down the stables, causing the ears of several horses to twitch. The roan mare who was standing next to the source of the shout snorted slightly, and tilted her head to the side.

"Oh, sorry nyah," Eiji laughed, patting the mare on the neck.

"We'll buy the mare then," Fuji said, turning to the salesman.

"Nyah, what about you Fuji?" the redhead bounded over to seize his friend's arm and drag him over to where a chestnut stallion was eyeing them from his stall, "This one likes you! And look! He even has this little white triangle between his eyes too!"

Fuji blinked at the horse and it blinked back. He smiled, suppressing a laugh.

"All right, Eiji, just hold on a second so I can pay the nice stable master."

The said stable master was watching the two strangers curiously. They were…an unusual set of customers indeed, and he had seen a lot of travelers in his day. Still, something about these two just struck him as odd. Especially the smiling one, who seemed to have decided that the natural state for ones eyes while walking around was closed, yet he hadn't run into anything yet. And of course, his companion wasn't exactly normal either. Way too energetic to be normal—and all the horses in the stables seemed to like him.

"Sir?"

"A—ah? Oh…" blinking as he was pulled out of his thoughts, the man accepted the payment at gestured at the two horses' stalls, "you may take the tack hung at the back of the stalls, since you don't look like you have any."

Fuji nodded placidly, "Thank you."

"Nyah! Do they have names?" Eiji demanded, bounding up to the stable master, blue eyes sparkling with excitement.

He smiled at the youth's eagerness, glad to see that his charges would be going into the hands of one who would care for them. "No, not yet. What would you like to name them?"

"Hmm…" the redhead turned to face the roan, hands on hips and head tilted to one side with a speculative expression, "How about…uh…Finiko! I used to have a cat called that! How about it?"

The mare flicked her ear and tossed her head as though to agree. Laughing happily, the redhead bounced into the stall to take down the saddle and bridle hung on the wall at the back, chattering to his new friend all the while.

"And what about you, lad?" the stable master asked, turning to the quieter brunette.

Fuji considered the chestnut for a moment, then his smile widened, "Triad."

"Triad?" the man asked dubiously, "Bit of a strange name, don't you think?"

But Fuji only smiled, "For luck. I always did like the number three."

"Ah," the stable master nodded like he understood, though in truth he really didn't get it. Who believed in luck these days?

He watched silently as the two travelers saddled and bridled their horses. Assured that they knew how, he bid them farewell and hurried off to meet one of his other customers.

"Let's go!" Eiji exclaimed, bounding down the aisle between the two rows of stalls, followed by his new four-legged friend.

"Hold on, Eiji!" Fuji reached out to catch his friend's sleeve, "the exit is the other way."

"Oh," the redhead flushed with embarrassment, "okay."

Leading their new steeds, the two friends made their way through the stables, with Eiji reaching out to pat the muzzles of every horse he passed and chattering cheerfully to each in turn.

Pausing at the open exit, Fuji stepped over to a side window and peered out into the streets. Eyeing each passing face carefully, he thought he caught a glimpse of two familiar figures approaching from the distance. He leaning forward a bit for a better look when _something_ tugged on his hair. Surprised, he nearly jumped, turning his head slightly to glance back over his shoulder.

Brilliant blue eyes blinked open in a mixture of shock and amusement as he found himself looking into one large, soft brown eye. It was Triad, with his soft muzzle buried in Fuji's hair, nibbling lightly on the honey colored strands and looking rather thoughtful.

Eiji was rolling around on the ground, laughing fit to burst.

Chuckling as well, Fuji reached out to pull a handful of hay from the pile that was sitting conveniently beside him, he nudged the horse's head out of his head and presented it with the hay. It looked at him for a moment as though wondering why he would push it away like then, then it accepted the mouthful of hay and returned to the task of chewing.

Remembering what he was doing, Fuji turned quickly back to the window and squinted. For a moment he thought he had missed them, but a more detailed search proved him wrong. The two were standing in the doorway of a food supplies store, talking to the storekeeper. One was extremely tall with a mop of windswept brown hair while the other was slightly shorter and wore a dark gray cloak with the double moon symbol of a healer stitched in silver on the right shoulder.

He had seen them before.

Feeling somewhat inclined to curse their misfortune, he ducked out of view and tapped a still laughing Eiji on the shoulder.

"Eiji," he hissed, trying to get the redhead's attention. It took a few more tries but he eventually got it.

"What is it, nyah?" Eiji asked, trying to suppress the bursts of laughter that were still threatening to surge forth. But then he caught a glimpse of his friend's face and sobered. Fuji's eyes were open.

"You remember the people who were tailing us in the other city?"

Eiji nodded.

"Well, two of them are standing just across the street," Fuji explained, sounding so calm that it took several seconds for the severity of his words to actually register in the redhead's mind.

With a gasp of horror, Eiji leapt to his feet, "What are we gonna do! We have to get out of here! We have to—"

"Calm down," Fuji held up one hand to halt his friend's onrush of panicked speech while his other reached up unconsciously to touch the pendant hanging beneath his shirt, "this is what we're going to do. I am going to cause a distraction and draw them to the other side of the stables. When you see them running in that direction, you take the two horses and get out this way. Leave the city and hide in the forest to the east. I'll join you as soon as can. Okay?"

"Are you sure, nyah?" Eiji asked anxiously, "I could cause the distraction nyah. It's you they really want to find after all."

"No," Fuji shook his head, serene smile back on his face, "I'll do it. Now, get ready all right?"

"All right…"

Swinging himself up into Finiko's saddle, Eiji watched as Fuji disappeared down the aisle towards the other end of the stables on silent feet. Then he leaned over to whisper into Triad's ear. The horse bobbed his head in understanding.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Darting between two racks of various brushes and assorted riding gear, Fuji pushed open the small window in the back wall. Vaulting through it, he landed cat-like on the ground outside, thankful for his small stature. Glancing around, he found himself standing beside a fruit vender's stall—or at least that was what his nose was telling him it was, he couldn't see anything but a blank, wooden wall and hay covered ground.

Raising his hands and concentrating, he murmured a quiet spell. A flash of brilliant blue light lit up the alley he was standing in, sending a blaze of magical energy racing outward like ripples through water. It was an obvious beacon to anyone who could sense such things.

Satisfied, he spun on his heels and sprinted down the alley towards the opposite street, not bothering to hide his aura.

oooooooooo

Over by the supplies store, hazel brown eyes snapped towards the left. Quickly stuffing their newly purchased supplies into a dimensional container, Tezuka turned towards the disturbance and set off at a run.

Confused, Oishi stood frozen for a moment. Then he bolted after his friend, calling a harried thank you to the bewildered shopkeeper over his shoulder.

Watching from inside the stables, Eiji saw them go. He counted to five after they disappeared then leaned over Finiko's neck and whispered for her to go.

The two horses raced out of the yard and headed down the street, the redhead urging them onward. Startled people shouted as they flew by, streaks of color and flying hooves that cut straight through the bustling streets like a warm knife through butter.

Eiji narrowed his eyes in an attempt to keep track of the road before them as the wind whipped up the horses' manes and tails and caused his stung his eyes until they watered so much that his vision was blurred. Still, he knew this was the right street.

He only hoped Fuji would be all right and that they would meet again as planned.

TBC

**NOTES**:

**Ages**: The characters are older for this story because it fits better, and anyway, they never looked like 12-14 year olds. So: first years are going to be sixteen, second years are seventeen, and third years are eighteen.

**A.N.** Hope you liked it!


	4. Chapter 3 Summary here

**Disclaimer**: Same as before 

**Notes**: **Summary**: (because I can't seem to figure out which section to put in the tiny space outside) The Seishun Alliance was destroyed years ago when ancient forces long thought laid to rest were awakened once more. The old protectors and leaders were banished and the world dropped into the dark age of the Empire. But when the outlawed rise, where can the world turn? With great powers awakening in a new generation comes another chance and the dawn of another age in time. Now it is up to them to change the world—but everyone seems to be on a different quest, none of which seem to match. (Eventual romance)

Chapter 3

Jumping lightly onto a pile of crates stacked outside an alley mouth, Fuji cast a quick glance back at his pursuers before dropping over the other side and racing between two women carrying large baskets of apples. He hadn't expected them to be this fast! And he was certain by now that at least one of them had powers of some kind or another as well. One of the Elite maybe? It was hard to tell and he wasn't feeling particularly inclined to wait for the two to catch up and find out.

Skidding around a corner, he glanced back over his shoulder. No one there. Scanning the other streets that intersected at that particular area, he ducked abruptly as a flash of light flew through the air where his head had been. The attack exploded amidst the stack of barrels behind him and his eyes snapped open as said wall crumbled. Barrels bounded down towards him, bouncing against each other and rolling across the dusty ground.

Flinging up one hand instinctively, he summoned a shield around himself. The barrels hit the faintly blue barrier, sending ripples of azure light through its surface, and hit the ground to go rolling away. He let the shield drop as soon as the last barrel was safely out of the way turned, heading for the thickest crowd he could find at short notice.

By now his pursuers were far too close for comfort. He had to try to lose them or he really might be making his last journey—this time to prison or worse.

Reaching up, he touched the pendent through the fabric of his shirt to make sure it was still there. If it worked, then it would have all been worth it.

oooooooooo

"Where did he go?" Oishi panted, glancing about frantically, just managing to jump out of the way of a charging barrel. But another decided it would be a wonderful idea to swerve suddenly so that he tripped over it, nearly falling flat on his face in the dust. Luckily, he managed to catch himself before that happened and he earned himself a broken nose.

"There," Tezuka sprinted for the corner of the tanner's store where he could see the very tip of a deep blue cloak whipping around the corner.

Sliding around the corner after the telltale piece of cloth, the two of them found themselves heading through the outskirts of the city. Before them stood the tall, imposing wall of trees that marked the forest fringe. And there, almost to the first of the trees, was a running figure with honey colored hair and a blue cloak that flapped in the wind as he ran.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Ryoma's head jerked around abruptly as he froze in mid step, green gold eyes staring down the city street. The wind that had kicked up a moment ago stirred through his night black hair and tugged at his cloak as he stood there, unmoving.

"Ryoma?" Momo paused and glanced down at his friend in surprise. "What's the matter? Do you see something?"

He turned to follow the direction of the other youth's gaze but all he could see was the same mass of people as before, hurrying around the same street, doing all the same things they had been doing earlier. Nothing looked out of place to him…

"There's someone there…" Ryoma murmured, more to himself than to his companions, "someone using magic…"

"Another sorcerer?" Inui asked, adjusting his glasses and eyeing the bustling street.

"I'm not sure, but it seems possible."

"Then why are we still standing here?" Momo said excitedly. "This could be one of the people we're supposed to be looking for!"

Ryoma rolled his eyes in exasperation, "You idiot. I already said that I am unable to tell if it is a sorcerer or not. And if it _isn't_ we could be walking right into the hands of the Elite!"

"We should go take a look," Inui mused, staring off in the direction Ryoma had been looking.

"I don't like the feel of this," Momo muttered as he trailed after his two departing companions, hefting his traveling pack a little higher on his shoulder. He should really ask Ryoma to put his in one of those dimensional pocket thingies too.

A few minutes later found the three travelers standing in a lane where chaos had apparently taken a stroll under the evening sun. There were barrels rolling around over the ground and happily bowling over people and merchandise stands alike. Somebody had dropped several baskets of apples—though the spilled fruit barely managed to rival the distressed shopkeepers in number.

Crouching down, Ryoma examined one of the glossy, red fruits. Staring at it intently, he frowned slightly, then stood up and walked over to one of the shopkeepers who looked less hysterical.

"Excuse me," he stepped in front of the man to get his attention, "what happened here?"

The shopkeeper jumped like a startled rabbit and stared at the sorcerer, eyeing his travel stained clothes suspiciously.

"Who're you?" he demanded aggressively, eyes narrowed to near slits as he edged in front of his store as though to protect it. "What do you want? You're not from around here! Are you with one of _those_ people, because if you are, I'll have you know that—"

Momo scowled, stepping in from where he had been standing behind his friend, "Jeez, why are you being so rude? He just wanted to know what happened here!"

"It's none of your business!" the man snarled angrily. "If you aren't one of those hooligans then you can just clear out! Unless you'd like to pay for all the stuff they ruined!"

"We should move," Inui said calmly as he appeared beside Ryoma. "I am positive that we will be severely delayed if we continue this conversation."

The young sorcerer sighed in exasperation. Stupid Momoshiro. Why did he always have to be so rash? It wasn't as though the shopkeeper had actually insulted them—yet. The man was just one of the many foolish beings who couldn't care less about what was going on around them as long as their own lives ran smoothly and according to plan. Little deviations always set those types of people off.

"You didn't answer our question yet!" Momo was spluttering. "After all that you could at least—"

But the shopkeeper had had enough. Reaching down, he snatched one of the trampled fruits off of the dusty ground and hurled it at the tall youth's face.

Purple eyes widening, Momo ducked then yanked the man up by the collar, "What was _that_ f—"

"Freeze!" a loud, commanding voice cut through the commotion as a squad of uniformed guard pushed their way through the milling crowds. "You are under arrest for disturbing the peace and violent actions!"

oooooooooo

"You can't be serious!" the young warrior shouted through the bars at the guards retreating backs. But they ignored him. Sighing, he slumped to the ground and stared dejectedly at his companions. "Can you believe this? I mean, we didn't even _do_ anything!"

"I did warn you about the extended conversation," Inui pointed out, sounding cool and collected as ever as his thick, square glasses glinted.

"But—"

"You were being an idiot," Ryoma snapped, glaring through the shadows that permeated their little jail cell at his companion. The torchlight spilling through the bars from the hall beyond reflected in odd, dancing patterns in his green gold gaze. "Grabbing the front of someone's shirt like that in the middle of such a mess was bound to be taken as an act of violence after a brawl. You should have thought before acting."

"But he was being rude to you!"

"Yes, to me," Ryoma rolled his eyes, "not you. So you should have let me deal with it."

"Jeez, ungrateful people," the taller youth sighed, "I was just trying to lend a hand."

"Don't you mean voice?"

"Whatever. What are we supposed to do now anyway?"

"We have a few options there," Inui replied, adjusting his glasses. "One, we could stay here and serve our time—"

"No way am I staying here _that_ long for doing nothing!"

"—Or two, we can leave. Which, of course, is somewhat more difficult than option number one, seeing as the guards are most unlikely to let us waltz out of here without a fuss."

"Do tell," Ryoma snorted, standing up and dusting off his cloak. "There's no way I'm going to sit around here after we just managed to find a lead."

"As expected. Now, Echizen, I trust you know how to cast a sleep spell?"

Ryoma nodded.

"Good."

The Observer stood up and peered through the bars of their cell. Glancing down the right side of the hall, he noted the faint glimmer of blue light on the stone floor at the bottom of the stairwell that led back up to ground level. There were several guards stationed periodically all the way to said stairwell, as well as down in the other direction—though judging by the different degrees of alertness he would guess that that very staircase was the only way out.

Returning to sit back down in his original seat, he adjusted his glasses, "We will wait until the sun sets then."

"Until the sun sets?" Momo repeated dubiously. "How are you going to know when the sun sets when we don't have a window?"

The Observer grinned, "I have my ways. Now, I suggest you both get some rest. Something tells me we aren't going to be given much of a chance to sleep tonight."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

It was dark under the forest canopy—dark and cool with the slightest taint of moisture in the air. All that could be heard was the occasional chirps and clear, sweet songs from distant birds, which combined with the gentle rusting of leaves to create a soothing melody only ever heard in nature.

But the young man racing with light footsteps over the forest's thick carpet of foliage had no time to listen as he jumped over a fallen log—nearly slipping on the moss covered ground beyond—only to dive deeper into the trees. He could hear the sound of his pursuers getting closer every second, and he thought grimly to himself that he had, apparently, underestimated their speed. He just hoped it wouldn't be a fatal mistake—it _couldn't_ be. He wouldn't let it.

Skidding around a large, moss-covered boulder, he increased his pace. He had spotted what looked like a set of hoof prints where the ground was a little muddy, and immediately headed in the other direction. The last thing he wanted to do was lead the enemy to his unsuspecting friend. It was his battle after all, not Eiji's.

It was then that the trees took it upon themselves to stop so abruptly that it was a shock to the system akin to plunging into ice water. They simply ended, and blue eyes widened at the sudden—rather unwelcome—image of a cliff edge.

Digging his heels into the soft, grassy earth, Fuji skidded to a stop just before he went over the edge of the ravine along with the clumps of dirt and grass his actions had dislodged. They bounced merrily away into the empty air to plummet past sheer, rocky walls, all the way down to where the sound of rushing water could be heard roaring and white with power.

_Not good_, he mused, scrambling to his feet and spinning around to meet his pursuers. It looked like he would have to fight them now.

Closing his eyes again, he couldn't help but grin. Boy would they be getting a surprise.

Raising his right hand to trace a glimmering circle of light in the air, he waited.

There was the sound of fast footsteps—a flash of movement.

They were coming from the side of the clearing.

Turning quickly, Fuji sliced a hand through his circle of light. Said circle flashed a brilliant white as the area near the trees towards his left exploded. Brids shot out of the treetops, screeching their protests ad the trees themselves shook violently and a billow of dust flooded the air and a few more chunks broke off of the cliff edge.

But out of the dust cloud streaked a bolt of white-gold lightning. Startled, Fuji held up his hands, catching the attack with his own powers and diverting it so that it crashed into the opposite side of the ravine. A loud roar echoed through the forest as a massive section of rock crumbled, pouring down into the river below in a waterfall of dust and stone.

Then a sudden gust of wind whirled the dust away to reveal a tall figure with dark, windswept hair and hard eyes. He was standing several paces down the ravine lip from Fuji, surrounded by a shimmering dome of distorted air. The circle of what had once been grassy meadow outside of his shield was nothing but charred earth, but the man himself had remained untouched.

Behind him, Fuji could see the anxious looking healer from before, but all of his attention was focused on the man with the fierce, brown eyes.

_So he's not one of the Elite after all_, he thought with some surprise as he reached for his powers.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Dark blue eyes shot wide open as the distant sound of an explosion rang through the forest.

"Nyah, that can't be good!" Eiji pulled back on Finiko's reins and urged her to turn around, clucking to Triad as he did so. Then he leaned forward and announced the command to run, his eyes fixed on that distant flash of light.

_That has to be Fuji!_ He thought frantically, hands clutched tightly around the reins. His friend must have been caught!

He had to get there to help!

He wasn't going to let his only real friend get imprisoned by the Elite. Not in a million years!

_Why can't they just leave us alone?_ Eiji thought fiercely as he leaned lower over his horse's neck to avoid getting whacked in the face by the inconsiderate branches.

Up ahead, he could see the trees parting to reveal a small clearing on the edge of a cliff—a clearing where two people stood.

"Fuji!" he shouted as he pulled Finiko to a halt, throwing out a hand to stop Triad as well. Jumping out of the saddle, he was about to run out into the clearing when blue and white light clashed and yet another explosion rocked the earth.

He caught a glimpse of startled blue eyes—just as the entire chunk of the cliff's edge beneath the two combatants shattered.

**TBC**

**A.N.** Well, I can't think of anything in particular I need to mention this time, just that more of the characters will be showing up next chapter. So, what did you think? Feel free to ask questions.


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer**: As it was before

Chapter 4

"Fuji!" Eiji shouted in horror as he threw himself forward in a vain attempt to seize his friend's hand. But something grabbed a hold of him by the ankles just before he went over the edge of the ravine too. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the person Fuji had been dueling jumping down into the ravine too, surrounded by a faint glow that seemed to be slowing his decent.

Thrashing around like a stranded fish, Eiji found himself sitting on the cliff's new edge, glaring into a pair of jade green eyes. The other man—the very person who had pulled him back—was dressed in a dark gray cloak embroidered with the healer's double moons. The expression on his face was oddly anxious, and Eiji wondered briefly how someone who worked with the Elite could actually have a moderately kind face.

Not that it mattered.

"You!" he glared fiercely at the healer as he dropped into a crouch, ready to either initiate or defend against an attack. "How dare you!"

An alarmed expression flew across the other youth's face and he scrambled back several steps, holding his hands up defensively, "Please hold on a second! I don't want to fight!"

"That's not what it looked like!" Eiji snapped angrily. "That was my friend that just fell down there nyah!"

"Yes, and Tezuka went after him. So there's nothing to worry about."

"Oh yes, nothing to worry about!" the redhead rolled his eyes, sarcasm dripping from his voice. "Some guy from the Elite goes hopping down there after my best friend, and I'm supposed to be relieved? You must be joking! Why can't you lot just leave us alone!"

"We are _not_ members of the Elite," the healer frowned slightly, crossing his arms.

Eiji blinked, straightening up and pulling a disbelieving face, "You're not?"

"No, of course not," shaking hi head quickly, the stranger stuck out his hand a bit hesitantly. "I'm Syuichiroh Oishi, and I'm a healer—you probably noticed."

Eiji stared at the hand for a long moment, caught between shock, uncertainty, and a gnawing curiosity. But the man was a healer, and healers had a tendency not to hurt people… The curiosity won out finally and he accepted the proffered hand, shaking it. Still, he couldn't help but cast another worried glance over his shoulder towards the ravine.

"Eiji Kikumaru."

Oishi noticed the glance and smiled in a—he hoped—reassuring and friendly manner, "Nice to meet you. And I'm sure you're friend will be all right. We don't want to hurt you guys."

"Hn…" the redhead chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully, casting a wary eye up at the darkening skies. "Okay then, if you're not part of the Elite nyah, why are you following us? And why was your friend fighting Fuji? Looked pretty threatening to me nyah!"

"Well…" Oishi sighed, glancing around at the deep shadows under the forest canopy and the rapidly darkening blue of the sky, "why don't we set up a camp? Probably tether the horses too. It's getting late. Then I'll explain."

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Shaking the water out of his thick, brown hair, Tezuka took several more steps away from the roiling river waters before depositing his burden on a patch of bare earth. Reaching up to wipe the glittering water drops off of his spectacles, he cast a quick spell to dry his and his companion's clothes.

Casting an eye over their surroundings, he traced the towering ravine walls with his eyes as they reached towards the sky, which was nothing more than a zigzagging strip of deep blue far overhead. The place where they had come out of the frothing white waters was a miniature platform of uneven rock that had managed to remain above the water level. Crumbling rocks could be seen lining the foot of the cliffs until said walls of stone broke abruptly away from the river some distance downstream.

If he squinted really hard through the rapidly thickening shadows, he could barely make out the dark, frilly green that marked the beginnings of a forest. But it would take a lot of careful climbing to reach the trees.

Letting out a long breath that was almost, though not quite, a sigh, he pointed at a spot on the ground that was approximately at the center of the rocky clearing. There was a soft hiss and crackle as a small fire burst into existence, hovering an inch or so above the ground to cast an orange glow over the stones and dance in glittering ripples over the river. Satisfied, he turned to the figure still lying unmoving on the riverbank.

Looking down at the other youth's pale face, he felt a twinge of something akin to sadness. He had never intended to harm. After all, his own problems had nothing to do with anyone but his friend Syuichiroh and the Elite. It wasn't his decision to include bystanders whom he had never met and had no reason to dislike.

Shaking his head, he sat himself down on one of a boulder that was sitting conveniently beside the fire.

oooooooooo

He was lying on something hard and not exactly what one would label as comfortable. He had encountered some very stiff and lumpy sleeping places through the years, but this really had to take the cake. It wasn't only hard but cold as well, not to mention the myriads of tiny _somethings_ that were digging into his back as though just urging him to get up and leave already.

And he couldn't hear Eiji complaining about it.

Frowning slightly, he forced his eyes to open. They were reluctant, but complied eventually and he found himself gazing up at a wriggling strip of dark, star sprinkled velvet. He could hear the sound of rushing water and—if he wasn't mistaken—the soft crackling of a fire.

Hold on a second.

A fire…and no chattering Eiji. Something wasn't fitting together here. He knew from experience that his redheaded friend could talk to anything from humans to animals to rocks—which were rather one-sided conversations indeed—or even to himself for hours on end. It never really mattered if his audience answered or not, it was just something he liked to do.

That meant whoever had set up the fire and was currently positioned not too far away from him was not Eiji.

So then who…?

Thinking back, he recalled being chased by two people who were not of the Elite but probably working for them. One of them had been a sorcerer too—a powerful one at that if he his senses hadn't been deceiving him. Then Eiji had arrived just as he was launching another spell… He had hit his head on something and…ah yes, of course, he'd fallen into the ravine. But then who—

Sitting bolt upright, he spun around, only to be assaulted by a wave of dizziness that threatened to knock him back down again. Pushing the nausea away firmly, he couldn't help but stare at the person he had been hoping _not_ to find sitting on the other side of the aforementioned fire.

"I wouldn't advice moving that quickly. You hit your head pretty hard on the way down here."

"And whose fault would that be?" Fuji muttered distractedly as his hand immediately flew to where the pendant still hung around his neck. So it was still there…

The other sorcerer noticed his reaction and shook his head slightly, "I wouldn't steal from an injured man."

"How noble of you. Though I must say it seems like a mistake on your part," Fuji replied, moving hesitantly closer to the fire while keeping a wary eye on his companion. But it really was cold and he knew he probably wouldn't be able to go anywhere just yet, not with his head spinning like a top every time he moved at a speed other than very slow at any rate. Luckily, the bespectacled man didn't look like he was intending to attack either.

They sat in silence for a long time, neither ever having been given to constant chatter, but Fuji was starting to feel a bit awkward—much to his annoyance. There was just something about sharing a fire with a total stranger who had, only a little while ago, been chasing him all over town. It didn't help that he knew he probably couldn't cast any spells until the bump he had discovered on the back of his head decided to leave him be. To top things off, he was starting to feel a bit hungry, and neither of them had any packs with them that he could see.

And it was really a bit _too_ quiet…

"Hmm," he lifted his smiling gaze from the fire to his silent companion, "I'm Fuji."

The other sorcerer looked back at him for a long moment as though not quite sure why Fuji had suddenly broken the peace and quiet. When he did decide to speak, his voice was as calm and even as ever, giving nothing away.

"Tezuka."

Fuji waited a moment, then arched his eyebrows a little, "Just Tezuka then?"

"You did not give your complete name either," was the matter-of-fact reply.

"So it's even, right?" the brunette chuckled, honestly intrigued. Something about this person ignited his curiosity. "So, seeing as you seem to like acting the upright, why are you working with the Elite?"

Dark eyes narrowed slightly at that question, "I am not."

"Oh?" arching his eyebrows, Fuji's smile didn't waver. "Then would that not mark you as a thief, since you are trying to steel this from me?"

He indicated the pendant still hanging under his shirt to emphasize his point. Really, people's definitions of things certainly did vary.

"Says he who stole it."

Fuji shifted in his seat, smile fading a little, "I took it for the sake of my family."

"By committing an offence that could get them all killed?"

Blue eyes opened abruptly, flashing with a dangerous light that cut through the shadows of the night as a sudden chill seemed to dance fleeting through the air, "They're already dead."

Tezuka gazed impassively over the leaping flames, brown locked with blue in a moment that felt endless. He would have pointed out that the brunette's earlier statement was even more incongruous with that piece of information than it had been earlier—that nothing could be done for the dead—but he had glimpsed something in those eyes…a shadow caused by pain and sorrow that had long since been locked away yet could never be escaped. And he had never been one to be callous.

Sighing a little, he let his eyes close briefly in a silent salute to fate. By the time he opened them again, the strange, close-eyed smile had returned to Fuji's face, breaking the tension that had been building.

"Well, I'd say you owe me the answer to my question then," Fuji mused, tilting his head slightly to one side like an inquisitive cat, "wouldn't you?"

Tezuka considered him for a moment, not particularly liking the idea of explaining yet feeling oddly as though he should say something. Not that he owed a strange—and a thief no less—any answers. Still…

"To repay a friend," he said shortly.

Fuji looked back down into the flames, watching its brilliant tongues dance and flicker in a pattern as old as time.

For a friend… He supposed he could understand that.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The sound of heavy footsteps and the loud jangle of a ring of keys echoed through the jailhouse corridor, jerking Ryoma out of his light doze. Opening his eyes quickly, he was greeted by the sight of one of the guards yanking open their cell door and shoving someone through it. The barred door was then slammed shut again as the guard muttered darkly about an excess of scum and turned on his heels.

"What the…" Momo stared the youth now sitting up in the middle of the floor and glaring after the guard with strangely snake-like eyes. "Who're you?"

The newcomer's glare was turned immediately onto Momo and the owner of said glare hissed derisively.

Momo frowned indignantly—he hated being ignored.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Fshuuu."

"What? You don't know how to talk or something?"

The hiss this time was harsh and the two young men were now trading glares of equal ferocity. Ryoma watched on with a strange sinking sensation. Was this kind of thing going to happen every day!

"Jeez," the warrior snorted, "what's your problem anyway? _Snake_?"

"Now really," Inui spoke up, acquiring complete silence almost instantly as his thick, square glasses glinted, "would you mind keeping quiet for a moment? It's time we left. And our chances of doing so with you two carrying on in this fashion are nonexistent."

That said, the Observer turned towards his pack, which was sitting comfortably in the corner after having been searched for weapons. Crouching down beside it, he reached inside and removed several bottles before reaching over to pull the water pitcher over.

"What are you doing?" Ryoma asked, eyeing the pack and the contents being removed from it warily.

"Preparing," was the Observer's only reply.

A bare few minutes later, he stood up and made his way over past three pairs of watching eyes to stand before the cell bars. Rapping on the loudly, he called down the hall to the departing guard.

The man paused briefly, sighed, and turned back around to retrace his steps, wondering what was going on now. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he caught sight of a pair of glittering squares that seemed to be floating high above the ground behind the bars.

He gulped, reminding himself that there were only prisoners here…there could only be prisoners here…right?

"I have discovered something that might be of interest to you and your superiors, seeing as I assume that you would wish to be informed if something were amiss with your facility."

"A—huh? W—what?" the guard stammered, blinking rapidly. He wasn't entirely sure he had understood all that.

"This. It is not water," Inui explained calmly, holding up the ceramic pitcher that had been placed inside their cell.

"W—what d—do you m—mean it's n—not water?" the guard stammered some more, not quite over his fright yet but rapidly regaining composure now that he knew for sure that it was just another convict. Just another…extra scary convict… He gulped involuntarily, throat feeling strangely dry—though why he had absolutely no idea, none at all…

"If you do not believe me, then try it yourself."

"I…" the guard sighed, his throat was still dry anyway. Reaching through the bars, he accepted the pitcher and downed in without so much as a second thought.

After that, he didn't really have the chance to think anymore as the ceramic holder shattered upon contact with the unforgiving stone of the jailhouse floor.

"You know," Momo said into the ensuing silence, "I could almost feel sorry for him."

"As I expected," Inui smiled—looking suddenly far more sinister than an ally should. Crouching down, he reached between the bars and unhooked the guard's key ring from his belt with ease. Straightening up again, he proceeded to unlock them like it was something he had done millions of times before.

Granted, the others had reason to hope he hadn't. Still…they really didn't know all that much about the Observer, just that Master Sumire seemed to trust him.

"Now," the Observer gestured to Ryoma, "if you would please execute the sleep spell I mentioned earlier? It would be better if no one saw us leaving."

"Ah," standing up and brushing out his cloak, the young sorcerer took a few steps forward and raised his hands, palm outward, facing towards the fire lit hall beyond. A pale, white mist seemed to materialize before his outstretched hands to drift through the jailhouse, turning the air a pale, translucent white. It faded away a moment later, leaving the silence even deeper than it had been before.

"Perfect," Inui adjusted his glasses and stepped out into the hall. "Let us be on our way then."

"Hold on a second," Momo piped up suddenly, pointing at the fourth occupant of their cell in sudden realization, "what are we gonna do with him?"

"Nothing," Ryoma snapped impatiently. The new comer had nothing to do with them—aside from having shared the same jail cell, watched them down the guard…and watched him use magic…

All three froze in their tracks as the same thoughts ran through all their minds while the subject of their concerns continued to look more than a little confused.

"It seems to me that the most logical action now would be to bring him with us," Inui said finally, sounding ever so slightly amused—which earned him a sharp glare from the short sorcerer. "After all, I'm sure he has no more desire to remain here than we do."

"Yeah," Momo muttered unhappily, "but we don't know _why_ he's here either. What if he's a murderer?"

'Fshhuu!"

"I do believe he disagrees with you."

Ryoma rolled his eyes and stalked out of the cell, "Then let's get going already!"

**TBC**

**A.N.** Well, that didn't turn out exactly the way I was thinking, but ah well… I hope you liked it.


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer**: Standard 

**To Tora Macaw**: I really have to thank you for your support I really appreciate it.

Chapter 5

Dark, slanted eyes gaze down at the army officer with contempt, watching the way the man was quavering in his seat with thinly veiled terror. Such pitiful fools… Then again—a cruel smile tugged at the corners of his mouth—that was part of what made his job so enjoyable. The fear that oozed from them in tangible waves—it was perfect.

Pity he had business to attend to.

"So tell me again," he drawled, placing one hand on the officer's desk and leaning on it casually, "exactly what it was that made you agree to a simple outcast's conditions?"

"I—I—I just…" the man stammered nervously, "h—he would have—"

"Are you telling me that you were _afraid_?" he cut the shaking officer off with a disgusted sneer. "Pathetic. To think that so many armed and trained soldiers are scared of one little sorcerer and a _healer_ of all things. Ch, the standards are falling rapidly I see."

"But Sir—"

"Absolutely ridiculous, don't you think?" he tossed a glance over at his assistants but didn't wait for an answer before returning cold eyes to the officer's pale face. "You fail at such a simple task as catching a thief, then you prove yourself unable to deal with lowly outcasts. Well, you know what? I think I'll be reporting this."

The man's eyes widened in horror, "No! Plea—"

"Shut up, Fool—or do you wish to argue with me?"

The officer shrunk down into his chair as though he could burry himself into the hard wood, "N—no Sir."

"Good. Now, I will be taking over this task from now on, since it appears that you people are incapable of even the most simple of jobs."

Finally releasing the trembling officer from his icy gaze, he turned and strode out of the room without a backward glance.

It was time for the hunt to begin.

x-X-x

"Are you sure you don't want to tether the horses?" Oishi asked, glancing to the side where said animals were munching quietly away on the grass.

"Of course not," Eiji wrinkled his nose, "it's rude nyah. And anyways, I already told them they should stay here."

"Ah, well…they…might not have understood…" he trailed off uncertainly, not sure whether or not it would be considered offensive to point out that animals could not speak or really understand human languages.

"Nah," the redhead waved him away dismissively, "I'm a Speaker nyah. I'm absolutely sure they understood me."

"Oh…okay…"

_A Speaker…_ Oishi thought, _I didn't know they still existed! The last were said to have died in the battles that ended the Alliance._

His thoughts were interrupted as the redhead dumped his last load of firewood down beside the crackling flames. Giving an exaggerated sigh of relief, he dusted off his hands and turned to face the healer.

"Are you _sure_ your friend isn't one of the Elite? He was obviously using magic."

Oishi sighed, rubbing absently at the back of his head. He had already assured and reassured Kikumaru several times, but he could see that the redhead still didn't completely believe him. Granted, he supposed he couldn't be surprised.

"The powers used by the Elite aren't the same as those used by sorcerers," the healer pointed out patiently. "Tezuka's a sorcerer."

"Different? Don't they all use magic?"

"Not quite."

"Right then," Eiji plopped himself down on the ground and tilted his head to one side, "so what's the difference between the magic the Elite uses and the magic the sorcerers use?"

"Well," Oishi frowned slightly, staring into the fire, "I'm not exactly sure. But I was told that magic was the innate ability to shape the power inside and outside of one's self—all natural sort, you know? On the other hand, I believe that the Elite draw upon a different source, a kind of core of darkness that lies beneath the other forces. You know how nothing is ever purely good or purely evil?"

Eiji nodded silently, listening intently.

"Well, that dark core of power is—or so I've heard—a pool of all the negative energy from the world that has gathered together over the centuries. A long time ago it was said to have flowed freely like the other powers, but it tainted them—and all who came in contact with this tainted power changed…"

"And…they're the Elite?" the redhead asked hesitantly.

Oishi nodded, feeling a strange wave of sadness wash over him, "In a way—but that was only a tiny hint at the beginning. It made them stronger—gave them powers beyond what was previously know. But the power came with a price… I guess to put it simply you would say that it brought out the darkness in their own souls, and lit in them the desire for more, as power has a tendency to do… The Sorcerien Council of the time realized what was gong on, and together they cast an enchantment that bound the dark powers."

"The problem was that, even though it prevented the majority of those born with the ability to use magic from being 'tainted', it also concentrated all that dark power in one place. Few people ever managed to find their way to it—but some did. It started with those who were originally changed as they sought the power they craved—and they brought others. The concentration of power was what created the Elite that eventually toppled the Seishun Alliance."

"But that still makes them sorcerers nyah," Eiji pointed out, trying to lighten the somber mood that had settled down around them while he wasn't looking, "right?"

"In a way, I suppose…" the healer sighed, "but they aren't the same."

"Are you all right nyah?" the redhead asked, feeling slightly anxious at the sorrowful expression on his companion's face.

"I'm fine," the other smiled slightly, "I just wonder sometimes… Those old tales really make it sound as though people in general are…I don't know…so susceptible to darkness…weak spirited or the like."

"Don't think that way nyah!" the redhead exclaimed emphatically. "It makes everything feel so gloomy!"

Oishi couldn't help but laugh, marveling at how quickly they had managed to go from mistrustful enemies to being able to talk comfortably, "Sorry, I guess I'm just tired."

Eiji made a face at that, "Thinking like that would make anyone tired nyah! I say you can look at the world in two ways; all dark and gloomy so that you just want to leave it all behind, or bright and cheerful nyah, so that you know you can always find something good! Isn't that better nyah?"

"It is," the healer laughed, "it's just that not many people can think that way. It's only human to look towards the bad side, I guess."

"Then people are stupid nyah," Eiji declared decisively. "Life should be lived!"

"Life should be lived…" Oishi repeated, smiling. It was such a simple statement that could mean a million things, but somewhere within its four short words there was something more—a promise, if you will, that one day, things would get better.

_Mom, Dad…_ he thought, gazing up into the star spangled heavens above as the music of the crackling flames echoed in his ears, _I'm going to free you one day… And when we're all back together again maybe we can find somewhere away from this place where we can all live as though the sun could shine forever._

"Oh lookie here!" a sudden, unfamiliar voice broke into the peaceful silence. "What do we have here, do you think?"

"Hard to say really," a smooth, calm voice replied, "but I do believe they pass quite admirably as suspects."

"Should we alert the others?"

"I don't believe we need to bother."

Breaking out of the shock the unexpected voices had caused, Eiji bounced to his feet and stared out into the darkness, primarily in the direction of the trees and the unpleasant voices. "Who are you? What do you want?"

The first voice laughed nastily, "Aw, the commoner thinks he can actually speak to us! How amusing."

"Ah, you know they do not know better," the second voice replied smugly. "Want hmm? Well, why don't we just…show you?"

"What the—" Eiji yelped and leapt back as a streak of light and dark silver flashed past him. Oishi jumped up at about the same time, spinning around just in time to see the streak resolve itself into the shape of a man with dark, bluish hair dressed completely in silver and pale gray.

The man pivoted as he skidded to a stop near the edge of the ravine and flung up his right hand as his left dropped to press down against the ground, fingers splayed. Silver light flashed around him before spiraling into a pinpoint just before his open palm. Then it streaked forward once more, lance of brilliance that left violet after images in all their eyes.

The horses reared and whinnied in alarm, their eyes wide and their manes whipped up in the sudden blast of wind that came with the attack. Eiji threw himself out of the way, crashing into Oishi and sending them both sprawling across the dewy crass as their campfire exploded in a fountain of sparks to shower the ground and vanish.

And just as the last spark died, another figure appeared, jumping out of the treetops. It cartwheeled in the air, the moonlight catching on dark red hair as a blaze of pale orange followed the figure's movement, tracing a circle of flames in the air. The silver light from the previous attack twisted as though caught in an overpowering wind and arched gracefully up to combine with the circle of orange.

Then the combined spells flashed and erupted outward, leaving ghostly images of orange and silver flames dancing in two pairs of wide, horrified eyes.

x-X-x

Deep, cerulean blue eyes snapped open as Fuji sat bolt upright, ignoring the way his head spun violently in protest. Pushing away the nausea, he turned his gaze upward to where the pale, gray fingers of predawn light were just barely starting to creep through the skies. He was sure he had sensed something…but no matter how hard he squinted up at the jagged rim of the ravine all he could see was bare rock and open sky.

"You felt it too."

Blinking at the unexpected statement, he remembered belatedly that he wasn't alone. Glancing over his shoulder and across the fire, which had apparently been allowed to die down some time earlier, he caught the sharp, brown gaze that had been looking in the same direction towards the cliff tops moments ago.

There was nothing there now—no lights and no movement, nothing to suggest that something might have happened. But the lingering traces of power continued to thrum through the air, a silent signal to those with the right senses.

Tezuka stood up, brushing off his coat and adjusting his glasses. Scanning the surrounding cliffs of sheer stone and jagged ridges, searching for the quickest route upward.

Fuji's eyes narrowed, "Going somewhere?"

"To investigate."

"I'm coming too."

The other sorcerer only looked at him skeptically, elegant eyebrows rising slightly.

Ignoring the look, Fuji concentrated on getting to his feet. The mad spinning in his head and eased somewhat after his nap, but he still swayed slightly before he found his equilibrium again. Closing his eyes briefly, he imagined a river of molten light then took hold of it with his mind. Twisting it, he guided the light towards the ache in his head, envisioning it as a bright red flame.

Feeling the pain fade, he opened his eyes again and smiled in satisfaction. That should take care of it for the time being.

Sharp eyes watched him in some surprise. He could sense what the other sorcerer was doing, but there had been no actual spell—no guidelines for the power used. It was…strange…

Shaking his head slightly, he turned back to his examination of the cliffs. Their next step should be to find Syuichiroh and the redheaded friend of Fuji's. Then they could deal with their current…issue.

He wasn't rude by nature, and he definitely was not sink to the level of a thief, but he also had a mission to accomplish. How to do so, however, was going to be a tricky problem.

x

Biting his bottom lip in concentration, Fuji secured his left hand in the thin crevice of rock before releasing the cliff with his right. Trailing long fingers lightly up over the rough stone, his question hand discovered yet another small ledge. Testing it to make sure it would hold his wait, Fuji inched his way a little farther up the cliff.

He hadn't expected the climb to be easy, but it had far exceeded his predictions. His muscles were starting to complain about the strain, and he could feel a trickle of sweat sliding snail-like down his spine as his headache nudged at the back of his mind insisting on coming back, but to even think of letting go now would be equivalent to voluntarily jumping off of a fifty-foot tower—not smart. But it didn't mean he couldn't briefly lament the fact that using enough power to levitate all the way up the very tall cliff would probably bring whatever had caused the power surge earlier down on them faster than anything else they could possibly do.

They…

Casting a brief, sideways glance at his silent companion, he had to wonder why Tezuka didn't just go on ahead. It was pretty obvious that the other sorcerer was quite skilled at this kind of activity, but he continued to remain level with Fuji, monitoring his progress and occasionally giving tips—probably didn't want Fuji to fall and take the pendent with him, the brunette thought wryly. He had even offered to help at first, but Fuji had declined, having always preferred to rely upon his own strength.

And plus, he wasn't entirely sure he liked traveling with the man who had caused his initial fall _off_ of the cliff in the first place. No one could honestly expect him _not_ to be on guard really.

Still, sometimes, when he wasn't thinking about it, he found himself relaxing anyway. It disturbed him slightly.

x-X-x

"Drat it all, stop hissing!" Momo's frustrated bellow could be heard for miles around as he brandished the short bow he was clutching at the slouching figure that was glaring back at him with snake like eyes. "I can't catch anything this way! If you have something to say then just say it! Can't you speak! Maybe you're just a snake, Snake!"

"Fshuuu."

"Argh!" yanking at his hair—not exactly suitable for the action—in frustration, Momo dropped his bow altogether. "You probably don't even know what I'm saying! _Where_ in the _world_ did you grow up anyway? _I_ stayed in _one tiny village_ my entire life until now and can talk!"

"Fshu," the other youth rolled his eyes and turned away, stalking off into the tree line in the direction from which they could hear the sound of running water. The gentle chuckling of water over river stones was far preferable to the loud blabbering from the warrior whose voice he was disgruntled to discover could still be heard by the riverside.

Kneeling down on the soft, mossy bank, he dipped his hands into the cool, quick water, he splashed some of it over his face. The chilled liquid was soothing and helped to settle his nerves.

He was seriously considering just leaving. He had his own business to attend to… And anyway, he couldn't even figure out how he had wound up traveling with these strangers in the first place. He had only been picking a fruit from a tree that he hadn't known belonged to someone—how could someone own a tree especially when it wasn't even in their yard?—and got arrested for stealing.

It was really quite ridiculous, now that he thought about it.

Shaking his head in bemusement, he let one hand trail in the water, feeling the way the strong river current swept around it.

"Am I right in assuming that you are a Speaker?"

He jumped violently, spinning around so quickly that he nearly tumbled backwards into the river. Catching himself just in time, he stared, wide-eyed, at the tall man with the thick, square glasses and freaky grin—the one they called Inui. Had he said…?

"It's all right if you do not wish to speak to me," Inui said lightly, adjusting his glasses. "I was simply curious as to why one such as yourself was doing in the city jail. I was under the impression that Speakers have a tendency to stay away from places highly populated with humanity."

The snake-eyed youth considered for a moment before speaking hesitantly, "I am…searching for someone."

"Ah," Inui nodded, accepting the fact that their new companion wasn't quite ready to share his reasons for travel just yet. "Then, before I stop bothering you, may I inquire as to what I may address you as?"

Frowning slightly, he shrugged and turned back to the river, "Kaidoh, Kaoru Kaidoh."

x

"What do you mean it's easier just to scavenge! How can you even suggest that! Scavenging is for cowards!"

"No, it's for people who are intelligent enough to realize that it is far more practical than running around and trying to shoot some random animal—which apparently, you are not," Ryoma snapped.

"But hunting takes skill!"

"You can't eat _skill_. And at this rate we're all going to starve before your skill actually comes in handy!"

"That's uncalled for!" Momo pulled an indignant face at his friend. "I mean, it's not my fault that snake guy kept scaring the animals away."

"And what were they supposed to do? Stand there and let you shoot them?"

"Ye—I mean, no! Of course not."

"Precisely, and there's no way you could have caught anything otherwise."

"Wha—"

"I would suggest you do as he says," Inui's voice floated through the clearing, interrupting the warrior's attempt to defend himself and his skills. "You are not going to catch anything, after all."

Huffing, Momo crossed his arms and glared sulkily off into the trees. He was so not going to go rooting around in the underbrush.

Why, Ryoma had to wonder grumpily as he snapped his fingers to light the campfire, did he have such strange companions? Why couldn't he have had useful, _smart_ ones instead?

**TBC**

**A.N.** Well, there we go. Now I'm going to have to do a lot of thinking because the plot isn't cooperating with me… Ah well.


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer**: Hasn't changed really

Chapter 6

Something was buzzing… It was…like a hum in the back of his head that was just trying to pull him out of the soothing cocoon of darkness that he was currently wrapped comfortably within. Feeling slightly disgruntled, he tried to push the sound away, but it didn't want to go.

Growling to himself, he turned over, trying to find a more comfortable position, only to discover that he was lying on what felt like bare earth and there was a harsh light burning through his eyelids. Frowning slightly as he reached up to try and block the unpleasant light, he found that his hands weren't responding.

That caught his attention, and with a muffled yelp he sat bolt upright—only to fall again as he lost his balance due to the fact that his arms and legs had been tied behind him in a most uncomfortable position. Thankfully for him, he had always been on the flexible side and after shifting around a bit he managed to find a sitting posture that didn't result in his immediate re-acquaintance with the ground.

It was only after he had solved that problem that he realized the weird buzzing that had pulled him into consciousness was actually the sound of people talking—that and someone, it sounded like Oishi, was calling his name.

Turning first in the direction of said beckoning voice, he found that it was indeed the healer—and he too had been tied up and was looking most uncomfortable. On the other hand, he _was_ all in one piece, which was a really good thing seeing as they had apparently been caught.

"Are you all right?" Oishi asked anxiously, seeing that he had finally gotten the redhead's attention. He could see a rather ugly bruise starting to develop on the left side of the other's face, but he couldn't really do anything about it from where he was…

"Nyah…" Eiji wrinkled his nose, "if you count being tied up fine, then yeah, I'm just peachy! What happened nyah?"

"We—"

"You are an absolute fool," a clearly displeased voice cut through the air like a hot knife through butter, leaving its words ringing in the air and drawing the eyes of the two startled prisoners in the direction of a clustered group of three. The speaker was a man with silvery gray hair and sharp eyes that were currently pricing holes through the two people whom Eiji recognized as their attackers the night before. He tensed immediately at the thought, but found himself overcome with curiosity as he continued to listen to the conversation.

"—you have been so foolish? Look at them!" the annoyed voice was saying. "They are obviously not the ones we are searching for."

"That may be true," the dark haired man with the glasses replied calmly, "but if I remember correctly these two would certainly match the description of the accomplices."

"Who are hardly the ones we want, Oshitari."

"Ah, but we can use them for bait. Their companions are bound to come looking for them—that's just the way such people are. And anyways, Atobe, they're still outlaws."

_Ooh…that's not good nyah_, Eiji thought to himself as he shifted a bit, trading worried glances with his fellow prisoner.

"Hey, look!" the redhead standing beside Oshitari said suddenly, face splitting in a wide grin as he jabbed a finger in Eiji and Oishi's direction. "They're awake!"

"Indeed," Oshitari mused, casting a bemused eye in the same direction. "Why don't you take them to their tent then, Gakuto? If the captain allows, that is."

Atobe shrugged, looking bored, "You do that. And make sure you leave a guard this time."

"Yeah, yeah," the redhead waved him away nonchalantly, "I know."

Bounding over to where the two prisoners were sitting, he gave them a wicked grin before bending down and yanking hard on the ropes binding Eiji's wrists. Yelping slightly, the redhead was jerked to his feet as a flash of orange light symbolized the sudden disappearance of the ropes binding his feet.

"Hey, watch it nyah!" he shouted angrily. "That hurt!"

"Good," Gakuto smirked at him, "that was kinda the point. Yoh! Hiyoshi!"

A somewhat grim looking youth with orange brown hair appeared from behind a nearby tent, frowning, "What is it Mukahi?"

"Grab the healer would you? We need to get them to their _quarters_."

Eyeing the redhead suspiciously, the one addressed as Hiyoshi approached slowly to stare down disdainfully at where Oishi was still sitting on the ground, "Who are these people?"

Gakuto rolled his eyes, "Our prisoners, duh. Anyways, hurry up, would ya?"

"Don't give me orders," the other snapped, but he complied anyway.

A few minutes later the prisoners found themselves being marched towards what had to be the most unwelcoming looking tent either had ever seen. It was small—though that was probably the best thing about it—and covered in a dirty tarp that looked like it had gone through a couple stampedes before ending up as tent material. The edges of the structure were stained black by some unidentifiable substance, and black runes had been painted on its sides like ghastly, twisted serpents forever trapped on the splotchy brown surface.

Eiji balked as he realized the unattractive _thing_ that didn't deserve to be called a tent was unmistakably their destination, "_You're_ expecting _us_ to stay in _there_?"

"Well, where else would you stay?" Gakuto snickered. "We set it up just for you. You should be honored!"

"That's ridiculous!" Eiji snapped furiously, jerking his hands to try and free them. But the other redhead grabbed the rope tying his hands and twisted it, hard, eliciting a gasp of pain from Eiji as the rough bindings bit harshly into his wrists.

"Leave him alone," Oishi demanded, green eyes stern. "You've already caught us. There's no point in unnecessary violence."

"And what're you going to do about it? _Healer_?" Gakuto smirked, leaning over to give Oishi a mocking grin. "Really, Hiyoshi, shouldn't you be keeping your charge quiet?"

His companion just rolled his eyes, "Stop dawdling. I have better things to do with my time than haul these creatures around."

"_Creatures_?" Eiji repeated incredulously. "What do you mean _creatures_ nyah? You can't talk about people like that! It's rude! And we're human!"

Hiyoshi snorted, lip twitching slightly in a sneer, "As far as I am concerned, that makes you inferior."

"Now shut up and get inside," Gakuto ordered, yanking open the tend flap and giving the redhead a hard push so that he went sprawling into the dark, musty interior. "And don't even think about trying to escape. This tent's warded—and so is this entire camp. Of course, personally, I wouldn't mind if you two tried to run. I could use some target practice."

"Why you—" Eiji growled, turning over to glare, but the tent flap had already been dropped back into place, and he could feel a tingle go through the air—probably the aforementioned wards.

Outside they could hear their captors talking for a few minutes before they called to someone—it sounded like Akutagawa—to come play sentry. Then all went quiet, and all that could be heard was their breathing in the dark, musky tent interior that smelled like many things that no one would ever be idiot enough to try and identify.

x-X-x

"They were here."

"Yes…"

Letting his eyes scan the trampled grass of the clearing, Tezuka frowned. It looked as though Syuichiroh and the redhead had built a camp—if the scattered ashes and pieces of blackened wood were any indication—but aside from that there was no sign where the two might have gone from there. Knowing the healer, he probably would have insisted on staying here to wait for Tezuka to return, which meant he wouldn't have just walked away willingly, so then…where were they? Unless Fuji's friend had wanted to go…but that seemed just as unlikely.

Then there was the power surge. Neither the healer nor the redhead had had the ability to be the cause of the eruption. That left only two options: other sorcerers—which was rather unlikely—or the Elite. Either way, the crushed grass and scattered remains of the campfire all testified to a struggle.

"They went this way," Fuji announced, standing up and gesturing into the forest. "There are four sets of human tracks, so there must of have been two of them. They took the horses too."

Tezuka nodded his ascent.

Watching him curiously, Fuji arched an eyebrow, "Shouldn't we be following them? The longer we wait the farther away they are liable to be."

"Wait."

Closing his eyes, Tezuka concentrated on the area around him. A circle of pale light appeared around his feet before expanding slowly to wash over the clearing. And as it passed traces of light began to shimmer into existence, hanging in the air like still, colored mist.

Fuji's eyes opened and he blinked—twice. If he was reading this right, those tracks of light were the residues of magic…only what could normally only be sensed was know clear to be seen before his eyes. Then Tezuka raised his hand and the wisps of glowing mist swirled slowly around the clearing before gathering to his hand and vanishing altogether. It didn't leave behind any of the tiny marks the usual concealment or trail wiping type spells did, no…it was complete and utterly gone.

In seconds there was nothing at all that might have indicated that anything with supernatural powers had ever set foot in the clearing at the top of the cliffs.

"Now," Tezuka said, adjusting his glasses, "we can go."

x-X-x

It was dark and slightly damp inside the small tent, but to make things worse the temperature was starting to drop rapidly. Shifting around a bit in a vain attempt to find a more comfortable position, Oishi glanced at his companion anxiously.

"Are you all right?" he asked quietly, eyeing the dark bruise marring the side of Eiji's face.

Shifting slightly, the redhead winced but nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine…"

They fell silent again, listening to the sound of cool silence that was all they could hear of the outside world. It was slightly disconcerting just how silent it was, but the healer was feeling inclined to take the peace as a good sign.

"How long do you think we've been here nyah?" Eiji asked finally, hushed voice still shockingly loud inside the tent.

"I don't know," Oishi sighed, pulling halfheartedly at his bonds. "It's night now though."

"Yeah…" Eiji turned large, dark blue eyes towards the tent flap, searching for any hint of the sky beyond before giving up and looking back at the ground. "Do you think they're going to come get us?"

"Of course!" the healer replied, sounding rather surprised. "Would your friend leave you behind?"

The redhead grinned, laughing quietly, "No, Fuji wouldn't leave anyone behind."

"It…might be better if they didn't come for us though. At least we're not the one's the Elite are after."

Eiji snorted, "Yeah, nyah, and they're just going to let us waltz out of camp in a few days if they don't get what they want."

"You're right… Still, we should have been more careful…"

"Can't change that now," Eiji shrugged, then hissed in pain as the rough rope bit into his already raw wrists, having seeming to have shrunk since that annoying, red haired _thing_ had tampered with it.

"Here," Oishi offered, shifting around where he was sitting, "you shouldn't leave it like that, it could get infected if it starts bleeding. See if you can turn around.

Wrinkling his nose, Eiji complied, bouncing up and down where he was sitting until he was facing the tent wall and his fingertips were brushing Oishi's. The healer inched back a little so he could clasp his hands around Eiji's feeling the way the skin around the rope bindings was chapped and scratched. Wincing inwardly, he concentrated hard on the ill-treated wrists.

Eiji blinked as he felt an odd warmth settle over his hands, almost as though he was sitting by a fire. The pain in his wrists slowly faded away. The ropes were still tight, but it no longer hurt to move his hands.

Scooting around after the healer relaxed, Eiji awarded him with a broad grin, "Hey, thanks nyah! It's all better now!"

Oishi smiled, "No problem. It's what I do."

"Hmm…sounds interesting," the redhead chuckled. "You know, a couple years ago all I wanted was to do anything I wanted any time I wanted. I just knew that I had to keep a low profile because I people like me aren't welcomed by the Empire—but I always did like animals more than I did people, so it didn't matter much. They were the ones I grew up with, not humans. But now…things just aren't that simple anymore nyah."

"I think a lot of people feel that way," Oishi sighed quietly. "It's just the way life is."

x-X-x

"Man, it's so _boring_ just waiting here!" Gakuto complained loudly as he stretched and looked around the camp. The sky had only just started to turn a pale shade of yellow, but he was feeling restless. Really, waiting had to be the worse activity in the world to be trapped doing!

"Don't worry," his dark haired companion assured him, glasses glinting slightly, "we should be getting out of here soon."

"Eh? And how do you know that?" the redhead prodded. "Come on, Yuushi, face it, we don't even know for certain if these renegades are going to come looking for those two."

"Ah, but most people have more loyalty to their friends than that."

Jumping at the sound of the unfamiliar voice, the redhead spun around to stare in astonishment at the slim figure smiling cheerfully at them from no more than a few yards away, honey brown hair stirring slightly in the breeze. Beside him he could feel Oshitari tense.

"Of course," the brunette continued amiably, "you probably wouldn't know that."

"You're that—" the redhead started, leveling an accusing finger at the stranger, but he was cut off as his companion elbowed him sharply in the ribs. Turning, he shot a glare at Oshitari, but the other didn't seem to notice.

"And what," the dark haired man asked calmly, "might you be doing here for?"

Understanding dawning, Gakuto started to edge to the side slowly—so as not to attract attention. He caught a glimpse of Hiyoshi stepping quietly out of his own tent and they locked gazes briefly to exchange barely visible nods of ascent.

"You have something I want," Fuji replied casually, still smiling. Really, these people were too amusing. It was obvious what they were trying. "A friend of mine, actually."

"Friend of yours?" the one with the glasses repeated, arching an eyebrow. "You must be mistaken."

"No, I don't believe I am," Fuji mused absently. _Three, two, one, now!_

Whirling around he caught a jumping redhead in the stomach with a blast of pure force and deflected a lance of what looked like darkness that had been launched by someone he hadn't seen earlier. It spun through the air before shooting back towards its startled caster.

Catching sight of a streak of silver out of the corner of his eye, he turned and sliced one hand through the air. A solid slash of pale blue light flashed through the air, almost too fast to follow. But the dark haired member of the Elite was quick on his feet, leaping out of the way just as the ground where he had been standing a moment ago exploded in a shower of blue sparks.

X 

Striding briskly through the camp, Atobe paused suddenly as he spotted the prisoners' tent. He had only just gotten up and here he had run across yet another problem. There, sitting outside of the prisoners' tent, was a familiar figure with a shock of orange gold hair—fast asleep and snoring softly. Could he find no decent help around here?

Letting out an irritated sigh, he turned to approach the sleeping sentry—granted, whose idea it had been to put Jiroh Akutagawa here as a guard was beyond him. Probably Mukahi. He'd have to talk to the redhead about this—again. Wards or no wards, sentries should be both present _and_ awake, not either.

But he halted in mid stride when he caught a glimpse of movement in the trees near where the two horses had been tethered.

All senses immediately alert, he changed course once more, careful to walk quietly this time. Padding over the packed earth, he ducked quickly behind one of the trees that had decided to grow farther into the clearing than its brethren. Peering around the trunk, he discovered that there was a stranger standing by the horses. He was tall, with somewhat windswept hair and a long coat—and he was untying the horses.

Stepping smoothly around the tree, Atobe whispered a short chant under his breath. Yet even as the last syllable left his mouth he caught a glimpse of light glinting off of oval glasses before the lightning he had released was caught and rebounded back towards him. Cursing slightly, he deflected the attack with a hasty shield before yanking his sword out of its scabbard and lunging forward. His opponent didn't have a weapon, but the matter didn't seem to faze the stranger in the slightest—the stranger whom he was pretty sure now was one of the renegades, presumably the one the fool guards in the city had been too fearful of to follow.

X 

Eiji jerked out of a light doze when a resounding explosion rocked the ground beneath him and the sound of fighting filled the air. Squirming around, he stared wildly this way and that, trying to see something other than darkness.

"What's going on nyah?" he exclaimed. "What blew up?"

"I don't know," Oishi replied, sounding worried as he wriggled around, trying to get his feet under him. "I think they're fighting out there."

"Do tell! But what can we—"

The tent flap was pulled back suddenly and they both blinked in surprise as a boy with orange gold curls crawled inside. They had never seen him before.

"Who—" Eiji started, but he cut himself off to gape as the youth pulled a dagger out of his belt and cut their bindings. "What the…"

"You guys better go," their rescuer remarked, giving them an odd looking smile. "I cleared the wards, but someone's going to notice soon."

Then he was gone as abruptly as he had come in.

Trading confused glances, the two now freed prisoners could only blink.

"What do you think…" Oishi started, but he trailed off, unable to find the right words to phrase his question.

Eiji shook his head finally, "Oh well, doesn't really matter nyah, let's get outta here!"

Bolting out of the tent with Oishi on his heels, only to nearly fall backwards as something when flying by just inches away from hitting him. Turning to stare, the two of them found Gakuto sprawled amidst the demolished remains of a tent, looking dazed.

Eiji blinked before his face split into a grin and bounded towards the downed redhead, fully intending to make fun of him. But Oishi grabbed the back of his cloak and pulled him back urgently.

"Come on," he said hurriedly, scanning their surroundings. He could see Eiji's friend in the midst of a duel with the dark haired Oshitari, but neither the Elite captain nor Hiyoshi were anywhere in sight—and that worried him. And where was Tezuka? "We can't stay he—"

"Watch out!" Eiji shouted suddenly as he caught a glimpse of orange brown hair. Leaping forward, he tackled the healer to the ground just as a long, single-edged sword whistled through the air just over their heads. Bouncing back to his feet, the redhead jumped nimbly over yet another vicious slash before landing a solid kick to Hiyoshi's ribcage. The other youth let out an 'oof' as the air in his lungs was forcibly removed, but that didn't stop him from swinging his now glowing blade in a powerful uppercut.

Backpedaling quickly, Eiji let out a startled 'nyah' as he tripped over Oishi—who was still trying to negotiate with limbs numb from being stationary for so long, sending them both back onto the dried, hard earth. Looking up, he was introduced to the unpleasant view of an upraised sword about to come plunging down—just as a flash of pale blue light lanced overhead to catch Hiyoshi full in the chest where Eiji had kicked him earlier. He stumbled backward, doubling over and gasping in pain.

Scrambling to his feet, Eiji helped a gasping Oishi to his feet just as Fuji appeared beside them. His eyes were open and sharp to an almost frightening degree.

"Head for the horses," he instructed rapidly, casting a glance back over his shoulder to where his previous opponent was pulling himself out of the wreckage of another tent, looking murderous. "Go, now!"

Oishi opened his mouth to protest against the wisdom of leaving the brunette alone to fight, but Eiji grabbed his arm and started towing him in the other direction past a still paralyzed Hiyoshi.

"Don't argue with Fuji when he talks like that," the redhead advised as he started to run.

Rounding the next corner they were nearly incinerated by a blast of white gold flames. Luckily, it missed them as Oishi yanked Eiji back towards him. Then they could see Tezuka standing in front of the nervously stamping horses, facing the leader of the Elite camp, who had a gleaming blade held surely in practiced hands.

Then the two flashed back into action and Oishi found himself forced to look away lest the quick, blinding flashes of light and almost indiscernible movements send his head spinning. Then the terrified whinnies of the horses filled the air, and he found himself being hauled forward by Eiji, who was emitting odd, whickering sounds he couldn't make heads or tails out of until he recalled that the redhead was a Speaker and it probably wasn't human he was speaking—it sounded like horse.

Tezuka had cut the horses free, and incited by the flames exploding around them, they bolted just as the sorcerer swung onto the chestnut's back. Bounding forward, Eiji vaulted onto Finiko's back and reached out to help Oishi on as well.

"Hold on and don't let go!" he told the healer with a quick grin before both horses headed for the tree line. The bespectacled sorcerer swerved Triad away just before they reached the forest fringe, but he shook his head when Eiji was about to follow and gestured back at the trees.

Waiting a split second to make sure they did as he instructed, Tezuka bent low over the stallion's neck and urged it back towards the burning camp.

X 

Deflecting a disk of silver light, Fuji glanced up at the sound of hoof beats to see Triad charging through the camp. Flicking the dark haired sorcerer he had been battling a cheery wink, he reached out and caught the hand that Tezuka was holding out towards him. Swinging himself up smoothly, he settled himself in place comfortably as the wind whistled by.

Behind them, the Elite camp was a demolished mess.

"Fuji!" Eiji exclaimed in delight as the horses slowed their pace after entering the forest. "You're okay nyah!"

The brunette laughed, eyes closing in a smile, "Of course I'm all right. And you?"

"We have to get as far away from that camp as possible before nightfall," Tezuka interrupted them after exchanging greetings with a greatly relieved Oishi. The horses couldn't move as fast through trees, but if they didn't get away quickly they would have another fight on their hands by the morrow if not sooner.

x-X-x

_It was dark—dark and suffocating. He couldn't see anything—couldn't hear anything. He couldn't even feel his feet beneath him or his arms by his sides…or at least he assumed they were by his sides._

_What he_ could _feel was the darkness._

_It was wrapped around him like a thick, heavy cloak, pressing down on him from all sides. He felt like was was standing in the middle of the earth with all the forces of the world squeezing in on him—trying to crush him._

_He struggled vainly, pushing at it with his mind because he couldn't find his body._

_Then he was fighting for his life, trying to find at least a little air to pull into his desperate lungs. But he couldn't, and—_

"Ryoma! Ryoma! Wake up!"

Jerking upright at the sound of his friend's urgent whispers, the young sorcerer stared wide-eyed into the dark, gasping for breath like a drowning man.

Pulling back, Momo put a finger to his lips, violet eyes bright with worry, "There's someone coming—we hear horses. I think it might be the city guards coming after us again."

"Are you all right?" he added anxiously. "You're looking kind of pale…"

Shaking his head, Ryoma calmed his breathing, "No, I'm fine…just a dream. So what are we going to do?"

Giving his friend a not quite believing look, the swordsman proceeded to outline their plan, gesturing to where the Observer and Kaidoh—who had finally divulged his name after being dubbed Viper by Momoshiro—were making themselves scarce in the thick undergrowth.

Nodding his understanding, the sorcerer stood up, dusted off his cloak, and moved into position beside his friend. The seconds drew by as the sounds of hooves grew gradually louder and louder…closer and closer… Counting slowly in his head, Ryoma lifted his hands and cupped them, a tiny spark of orange red light flaring into life in the cage of his fingers.

Then the horses appeared and Momo let out a shout. Leaping to his feet, the violet eyed warrior yanked his sword out of its sheath and lunged forward just as Ryoma released his spell.

There was a blaze of orange light and several yells of surprise. Then a strangled scream, frantic neighing, startled hissing, and another blinding flash of light. Throughout it all Ryoma found himself unable to make heads or tails out of anything that was going on until there was a surprised exclamation of "Oishi?" that sounded like Inui—only he wasn't sure because the Observer never sounded surprised.

Then all movement ceased to reveal Inui facing a bewildered looking young man with green eyes and the healer's moons embroidered on his cloak standing beside a tall stranger with oval glasses and sharp eyes that Ryoma realized with a start was the same one he had seen in the city some days ago. Then there was a redheaded youth who was attempting to strangle Momo while Kaidoh hissed a bit nervously at a smiling youth with honey colored hair who was holding a ball of blue light in one hand. Nearby the two now rider-less horses stood, amiably swishing their long tails through the air.

The green eyed healer blinked, "I—Inui? What are you doing here?"

**TBC**

A.N. Okay…I know this is a bit strange so far, but I think it's because I'm not used to writing non-humor-based fanfiction, only original fiction, and writing that is just different. Anyways, I hope you guys liked it… Suggestions are always welcome.


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer**: Hasn't changed. And really, no one thinks it would.

**A.N**: Well, I wasn't originally going to post this today, but hey…I figured I might as well.

Chapter 7

"I would think that I should be the one asking you that," the Observer replied, all signs of surprise long gone. "I believe you said you were leaving to help a brother you don't have, and here I find you with not one but three strangers, none of whom could possibly be any relative of yours."

"Ah, well…" smiling a bit nervously, Oishi rubbed the back of his neck with one hand, "um…I…"

"Who're you, nyah?" the redhead cut in impatiently, seeing as the healer didn't look like he was going to complete his thought anytime soon. Releasing his stranglehold on Momo, he bounded over to stare wide-eyed at Inui's almost opaque square glasses. "You look scary nyah! How do you see through those?"

"You know," Momo muttered, rubbing his neck and glaring warily at the inquisitive redhead, "I've actually been wondering the same thing…"

"My name is Sadaharu Inui," the Observer replied, eyeing the redhead from behind his thick glasses. "I am a friend of Oishi's. And you would be?"

"Eiji Kikumaru nyah. So you _can_ see?"

"Indeed," Inui replied, a slight frown flitting across his face as he reached up with one hand to adjust his glasses. _More than you realize._ "I simply wish to…keep my eyes clear."

"Clear?" Momo repeated disbelievingly. "First time I ever heard of using opaque lenses to keep one's eyes clear…"

Rolling his eyes, Ryoma stepped forward, gaze sweeping over the horses and disheveled clothes before turning to award the strangers a hard, accusing glare, "You are running from something. I demand to know what."

Instant silence greeted his words as the tension skyrocketed once more.

"Ah, um…" Oishi glanced nervously around at the tense faces, straining his ears for the possible, dreaded sound of pursuit—he had almost forgotten about the Elite band in the shock of meeting the Observer and his companions, "c—can we…talk about this somewhere else?"

x-X-x

"Come on now, careful nyah, you don't want to leave a trail do you?" Eiji crooned softly to the horses as he led them slowly through the screen of massive ferns that served as a shield from prying eyes for the cave behind them. "Good job nyah, now just a few more steps—oh, don't step on that! Whew, and we're through!"

Snorting softly, Finiko flipped an ear at the redhead before turning slightly and lowering her head to start nibbling on the grass by her feet. Eiji chuckled and patted the mare on the neck before announcing to Triad that he should do the same.

"You don't know when we're going to have time to just settle down and eat again nyah," he reminded them before ducking back into the cave.

The two horses traded knowing looks, flicking their ears before returning to the serious business of eating.

Inside the cave itself the atmosphere was rather more on the tense side as wary eyes regarded still unfamiliar faces made even less trust-inspiring by the thick shadows now layered over them. It didn't help that the cave was not exactly what one would define as spacious—or even dry for that matter. Indeed, the uneven, rocky walls were slightly slimy, and the dirt floor was damp at best.

Eiji wrinkled his nose as he settled down between Oishi and the loudmouth with the purple eyes and prickly looking head of hair. He wasn't squeamish, seeing as he had lived practically all his life outdoors, but the closed in, musty air combined with the unpleasant wetness and staring faces was…not appealing—to put it mildly…very mildly…

"So what's going on nyah?" he demanded of the cave at large, deciding that he would rather it not sink into restless silence. He hated restless silence. It was always so boring and uncomfortable.

"And I think you strange people should talk first nyah," he added, jabbing a finger at the weirdest one—the one with the too-dense glasses, "since you were the ones who attacked us."

"We were just making sure you weren't guards from that stupid city," the violet eyed Momochiro—no wait, it was Momoshiro, Eiji snickered.

"Idiot," the one with the snake eyes hissed darkly and the redhead blinked several times.

That was…but…it couldn't be…but his ears were excellent and they had never yet told him wrong…

Bouncing to his hands and knees, Eiji leaned across the circle to stare in astonishment at the other youth—who drew back hurriedly before their noses could collide, a confused look on his face, "You're a Speaker too nyah! Why didn't you say something? This is so cool nyah!"

The other youth didn't answer, and Eiji leaned forward a little more, trying to hear if he was saying something quietly. Nearby, Momo could be heard muttering 'What's a Speaker?', but no one answered him.

"Uh K—Kikumaru…" Oishi stammered.

Eiji blinked and turned to stare inquisitively at his once-enemy, "Nyah?"

"Ah…well..."

"I think what he means to say, Eiji, is that you're making our new companions uncomfortable," Fuji supplied, chuckling.

"Oh…really?" the redhead looked around the circle of faces with surprise—they were all staring—or glaring, depending on the source—at him. Well, maybe not all, but he was certainly what they were all looking at.

"Um…hehe," he scratched the back of his head, grinning sheepishly at them, before returning to his seat. Really, why was everyone so uptight these days? It was an amazing occasion! Worth celebrating! And here they were, looking at him like he had sprouted antlers or something equally weird.

Beside him, Oishi sighed and glanced at Inui's glinting glasses—it was all he could really see of the Observer who was sitting near the back of the cave, "What happened? Were you guys running from the guards?"

"Ah, nothing of particular interest," was the nonchalant reply. "It was simply a little misunderstanding. But they did not take too kindly to our taking our leave of their jail cells, so we were not in a great hurry to meet them again. There would have been a seventy-three out of a hundred chance that they would have wished us to return, and that would not have befitted our plans."

Eiji shot the tall speaker a dubious look. Talk about your weird people…

"That wasn't what we were here to talk about," the little one who had introduced himself as Ryoma Echizen snapped. "What were you saying about the Elite?"

"We have recently encountered one of their squads," Tezuka replied, his calm voice filling the little cave with ease. "We were leaving their camp when you ambushed us."

"Leaving their—" Momo cut himself off as he leaped to his feet—only the low ceiling had other ideas and he was back on the ground a moment later—his jaw hitting the floor. "You—you're not—"

"No, we are not members of the Elite," the bespectacled sorcerer said evenly, casting a look at Fuji out of the corner of his eye.

"Oh," Momo rubbed the back of his head where he could now feel a growing bump, calming a bit, "okay then…"

Ryoma sighed, shaking his head. Really, it was an extremely good thing that his often less-than-properly-careful friend had an extremely hard head. If he hadn't, the sorcerer was sure that something irrevocably unpleasant would have happened by now—though his father had always said one had to wonder if there was that much to damage…but seeing as he had long since decided not to believe anything the old man said it was a bit of a moot point.

Eyeing the strangers warily, the young sorcerer wondered… He could sense that at least two of them were magic wielders—the same ones he had sensed before in the city—a skill he had picked up quite early in life, but what he couldn't understand was that their powers felt…different somehow, more so than the usual variation from sorcerer to sorcerer. But perhaps it was just his imagination.

"What about you?" the brunette who had given no more a name than just 'Fuji' inquired, tilting his head slightly to one side in a curious manner—he didn't seem at all effected by the somewhat less-than-relaxed atmosphere.

Ryoma stiffened, "We having nothing to do with the Elite. We were sent by the Sorcerien."

"The Sorcerien?" Oishi repeated, glancing at Inui in confusion. "But isn't that the name of the old sorcerers' branch of the Alliance that the Elite destroyed?"

"Destroyed?" Momo repeated, bewildered. "What do you mean destroyed?"

Inui cleared his throat with a cough and adjusted his glasses, "That would be the one, however the Elite did not actually destroy the Sorcerien, though they thought they had—an assumption I believe they have only recently begun to realize is incorrect."

"Whoa," Eiji whistled, "not very smart were they!"

The Observer gave him an odd look, "I would not be so quick to say if I were you, however, it is true that they were a bit careless."

"You mean slow on the uptake nyah!"

"So what do you mean when you say you were sent?" Fuji asked, gazing intently at Ryoma—though how Ryoma knew that the former was looking his way when said sorcerer kept his eyes disobligingly closed was a mystery that Ryoma didn't feel like solving. Maybe he had just gotten used to people whose eyes he couldn't see after spending the past few days in Inui's company.

"The Masters sent us out to look for renegade magic wielders," he explained finally, realizing that they were all looking at him and that Momo probably wasn't going to be answering. "They didn't tell us why."

"They never explain _anything_ to _anyone_," Momo added, grimacing at the thought. "You'd think they'd at least try to make an exception when they want you to do something for them, but _no_. Not even a word!"

"Fshuuu," the youth with the bandana hissed under his breath and Eiji laughed. Momoshiro glared at them in bewildered anger, standing up again, only to be reminded of the cave's low ceiling. Groaning at his misfortune he sank back to the floor—just as one of the small stalactites protruding from said ceiling suddenly fell to land point down in the soft earth just in front of him.

He stared at it for a long moment, violet eyes wide and mouth slightly agape, "Th—that just…it just…"

"That's one hard head!" the redhead quipped before bursting out laughing again and bouncing up and down where he sat. These people were amusing, he decided, definitely worth getting to know!

"Um, Momoshiro," Oishi cut in, looking anxiously from the still giggling Eiji to the swordsman, "a—are you all right?"

"He'll be fine," Ryoma muttered, rolling his eyes, before raising his voice back to speaking levels. "So will you be coming with us then?"

Eiji fell abruptly silent as he looked suddenly anxious, glancing over to where Fuji was still smiling like he did every hour of every day. Beside him Oishi traded glances with Tezuka, green eyes uncertain. But none of them had time to answer before Momo spoke up suddenly.

"Hey, Ryoma, you can't be serious about going back now?" he demanded incredulously. "I mean, there's gotta be more than just two sorcerers wandering around the Empire!"

"We have to start somewhere, don't we?"

"Oh, well…I guess…"

Blinking, Ryoma arced an eyebrow at him, "Why? Don't you want to go back?"

But Momo just shook his head and laughed nervously, picking up the piece of stalactite and turning it over in his hands, "Ah, it's nothing…"

There was a momentary pause in the conversation where no one seemed to know what to do next, then Fuji leaned forward slightly, eyes opening to reveal sharp, ocean blue orbs.

"This Sorcerien," he said in his quiet, almost lulling voice, "you said they have been around for a long time? Might they know anything about…say…the Ancients?"

"There are a few books in our library about them," Ryoma replied slowly, now somewhat confused, "probably more than most people know about. But no one knows anything about the Ancients anymore that isn't just myth."

"Hmm…" the brunette sat back and smiled serenely, his eyes sliding shut again, "I would like a look at those books, if your people would allow."

Ryoma narrowed his eyes slightly—he had the impression that the older sorcerer would be having a look at those books even if someone told him no—but seeing as the request implied a willingness to go and meet the Council he decided not to care. It wasn't his problem anyway.

"I…guess we'll be coming too then…" Oishi murmured, looking kind of lost.

"Hey, you guys," Momo said suddenly, holding up the piece of statute and pointing at the base where it had once been connected to the ceiling above, "weren't these things supposed to grow over time with the dripping of water or something?"

The others stared at him.

"That would be correct," Inui said finally, adjusting his glasses. "They form as water seeping through earth gather minerals and deposit them on the rock."

"But," the swordsman frowned, "look at this. The base part was all covered in mud so I kind of cleaned it off and it's kind of smooth underneath. I think it was the mud holding it up there."

"Really?" looking rather interested, Kikumaru scrambled to his knees and grabbed the nearest rocky protrusion in the cave's ceiling. Giving it a hard yank with all his weight put behind it he toppled backwards with a yelp, said piece of ceiling still firmly in hand. Shaking his head vigorously, he stared at the thing he was holding, then looked up at the others' interested faces. "What do you know nya! He's right! Wow, someone must have been really bored! But—"

Throughout his excited series of exclamations Eiji had been pulling more and more of the false statutes off of the ceiling, getting more and more enthusiastic by the rock, but he was cut off abruptly as the ninth rocky protrusion he attacked—which had been resisting with a little more determination than the previous eight—suddenly came away with a deafening snap. The redhead fell backwards with a yelp, crashing into Oishi just as a thin beam of white light lanced from the circular patch of something shiny he had revealed.

The healer felt his back hit the ground hard as all the air was knocked out of his lungs—just as the entire floor beneath him gave way. He would have exclaimed in shock at the unwelcome—not to mention highly unexpected—turn of events, but by then he was falling, surrounded on all sides by pieces of crumbling earth and accompanied by the horrified cry of a certain redhead. It seemed Eiji had no problems at all with finding time to express his shock.

Seeing the two disappear, Momoshiro had dove forward to snatch at one of the many flailing limbs making their departure, but yet another chunk of what they had all assumed was solid ground cracked and began to fall and all he could do was frantically grab and hang on to the nearest solid object—which turned out to be the arm of his long time sorcerer friend who, unfortunately, was nowhere near heavy enough to anchor him. Not that it mattered in the long run as Ryoma let out a most undignified squawk for the floor of the cave continued to fall away, the crevice racing from the front all the way to the back where the Snake and the Observer had nowhere to run to.

Fuji sat for a moment, blinking at the gaping ravine that had opened up inches away from where he was sitting to swallow the majority of his companions—Tezuka had been the only one quick enough and near enough the exit to leap out of the way—mildliy astonished.

"Well," he said after a moment's pause, "that was unexpected."

**TBC**

**A.N**: So not the most interesting part in the world U But yes there is a reason for this! It wasn't just random, mostly… Anyways, I'm getting slightly confused so I may end up writing some of the pre-stories to remind me what I'm doing. Again, comments and suggestions appreciated.


	9. Chapter 8

**A.N**: And here we are! Hope you enjoy

Disclaimer: Characters obviously not mine

Chapter 8

It was dark—not that that was surprising. What _was_ surprising was that they were all still alive and relatively undamaged. Granted, no one was about to complain about that. Still, that wasn't to say it was comfortable either.

"Ow! Ge your foo ou o uy mou!"

"Someone's stepping on my hand nyah!"

"Fshuu!"

"Yuck! That was disgusting!"

"Liking having saliva all over my boot isn't?"

"Ryoma! That's not—ow! Watch where you're swinging your arm will you?"

"I can't see a thing nyah!"

"I—is anyone hurt?"

"No damage in this department. However, that may not be a sustainable condition if we continue in this manner."

Grunting, Ryoma pulled himself forcibly from the tangled mass ov limbs and rolled over—eliciting a yelp from someone whose limb he had probably squashed in the process. Once clear of the yelping, flailing lot, he pushed himself to his knees and looked up. High above them, so small that it was almost impossible to believe that it was the hole they had fallen through, was a patch of faint light. They must have fallen farther than he had originally thought.

That could be a bit of a problem…

He frowned. Something didn't seem right… It was obvious that someone had disguised that cave to hide something…but what? And was that a hint of a staircase he could see just below the rim of the hole in the ceiling?

A shadow blotted out the light suddenly before dropping through it a moment later, followed after a few minutes by a second silhouette. He could hear the light voice of the one called Fuji calling down to them curiously. The brunette had apparently missed the existence of the staircase and was using a levitation spell.

X

Triad flicked his ear in surprise as he swung his head around to look through the ferns screening the cave entrance. He could have sworn the humans were all in there a moment ago… Trading looks with Finiko he nudged his muzzle through the vegetation and gazed at the cave with its conspicuously lacking floor.

Beside him the mare whickered softly, tail swishing.

Nodding in agreement, Triad turned back to his formerly abandoned grazing.

They had certainly picked strange riders. He hoped they would get back soon. He could really use a good run.

X

"Would you think we were dead if we didn't answer?" Momo asked sourly as the two sorcerers alighted beside them, simultaneously summoning mage lights that hung above the group, painting a small circle of radiance around them. He still couldn't get the taste of dirt covered boot soles out of his mouth and it wasn't putting him in anything resembling a good mood.

"No," Fuji replied cheerfully, "but we would probably have assumed from all the squealing that you would require some piecing back together."

"We weren't squealing!"

Fuji only chuckled, but before he could say anything a sudden shout rang out from the darkness behind them.

"You filthy traitors! Don't think you can just come here and finish the job—you'll have to get through us and trust me, that ain't gonna be easy!"

The shout was all the warning they had as a flash of brilliant light flashed over their heads and exploded with a violent roar.

Momo and Eiji yelped in unison and the snake-eyed youth hissed but as all three attempted to leap up in different directions their tangled state brought them all crashing back down again, along with a panicking Oishi and surprised Inui.

They weren't going to be useful, Ryoma thought distractedly as an invisible force slammed into him from behind. Stumbling forward, he twisted his body around and lashed out with a whip of orange flames. He caught the briefest of glimpses of a black, hooded figure with upraised arms before yet another explosion flattened him against the ground, momentarily blinding him with a burst of electric green light.

He hissed angrily.

x

Fuji threw up a shield as a torrent of fire swept over them. But it wasn't normal fire—it ate into his barrier as though using his energy for fuel. Blue eyes slid open into narrow slits. He couldn't withdraw the shield or the tangle of struggling limbs behind him would be burned, but holding it would mean having his energy depleted at an astonishing rate.

A sudden flood of power swept through the cavern and the flames seemed to freeze in place. Then they writhed twisted back, shooting back towards the two hooded figures that had cast them in a rain of arrow-shaped flames.

Turning his head to the side, he wasn't entirely surprised to find Tezuka with his left hand outstretched, a faint, golden glow coloring the air around him. The other sorcerer glanced at him momentarily, glasses glinting, and nodded slightly. Lifting one eyebrow slightly, Fuji grinned and dropped his shield. Then he lunged forward.

Raising his left hand across his body he brought it sweeping down in a swift, cutting motion. A flash of blue light lashed through the air, slamming into the chests of their two, startled opponents and slamming them against the rough, cavern wall. Then he thrust his right hand forward, fingers snapping open. In an instant the two were completely immobilized as their bodies were encased in a thick block of ice that trapped them where they were still flat against the wall.

x

Springing nimbly to his feet, Ryoma struck out blindly in the direction from which he could still sense the residual traces of whatever spell had caused the explosion. Lightning flew from his fingertips and he heard a cry of pain. Blinking rapidly to clear his still blurry vision, he wove a net of yellow strands through his fingers then tossed it over the prone finger who was clutching at a bleeding shoulder, disabling him. Taking another step forward he was intercepted as yet another cloaked figure dropped down from the darkness to land between him and the one he had netted.

This new assailant slammed a fist into the cavern floor and the ground splintered, shards of stone flying up around the young sorcerer. He threw up a hand, calling up a barrier just in time to avoid being impaled by the hailstorm of stone. Muttering a quick chant, he traced a symbol in the air with his left hand and glared over his upraised right arm at the figure who still had a fist in the ground.

There was a flare of power and the man froze, unable to move as he was caught by the stasis spell.

Silence fell like an executioner's blade. Even the pile of tangled limbs had stopped moving.

When someone did finally speak it was one of the two, cloaked figures still frozen to the cavern wall. The voice was that of the original shout, though now it was laced thickly with bitterness.

"Kill us then, why don't you? We can't stop you."

"We have no intention of killing you," Tezuka's calm voice flooded through the cavern, firm and indisputable. "However, we would appreciate an explanation as to why you attacked us."

None of the four said anything for a moment, trading glances that—though hidden by their deep hoods—gave the distinct impression that they were surprised.

"Then…why are you here?" the one under the shimmering net of light asked uncertainly. "If not to kill us, I mean."

"Ch, you guys are just weird," Momo grumbled, finally pulling himself free of the tangled heap and twisting to check his sword. "People can't just drop in without knowing you're here? Why would we want to kill you anyway? It's not like we've ever even met before."

"Exactly nyah!" Eiji exclaimed, sitting up groggily and rubbing the back of his head, wincing when he felt a bump there. "You scared us half to death with that stunt! Appearing out of nowhere and all nyah."

"Who are you anyway?" Ryoma added, staring hard at the four. They were obviously magic wielders…but whose?

"We're—" the second speaker started, then stopped abruptly, trading looks with his companions. "I…well…"

"From your wariness and assumption of our hostility I assume that you would be fugitives of some kind," Inui stated, rising to his feet and straightening his square spectacles, "most likely from the Empire. Am I correct?"

Those of the four who could move shifted their weight nervously and the Observer nodded in satisfaction.

"Well, we too are not what you would define as on friendly terms with the Empire, and it has already been proven that you are—like some of our companions—sorcerers. Thus we are now on equal footing."

"Not quite," the one who was still paralyzed by the stasis spell muttered, barely able to form the words.

Ryoma studied him a moment longer then snapped his fingers, freeing the man before gesturing at the net to dispel it. The two stood up slowly, stretching stiffened limbs. One of them was still clutching his shoulder.

"Here," Oishi pushed himself up and hurried to the injured man, "let me help you with that. I'm a healer."

On the other side of the cavern Fuji waved his hand at the ice and it melted away into mist before disappearing altogether. The two immediately began to rub their hands together and one began to jump up and down in an attempt to warm up. The actions struck Eiji as rather comical for people who had originally seemed so sinister and he hid a giggle behind his hand. Beside him the Snake hissed and crossed his arms, looking a bit uncomfortable.

Luckily, none of the four seemed inclined to take offense.

The first speaker pushed back his hood finally and bowed slightly, "I am Tatsumori Mori. My companions here are Kyousuke Uchimura, Tetsu Ishida, and Masaya Sakurai."

The others introduced themselves quickly, having gotten quite adept at the task over the past few days. The problem was that no one was quite sure where to go from there. Thankfully, they were saved from the awkwardness that was bound to come by an exclamation from the one called Sakurai.

"The pain's completely gone! It's like my arm was never injured!"

"That's what healers do nyah!" Eiji laughed.

Sakurai turned to Oishi, a look of astonishment on his face, "You mean you're really a _healer_? I thought you just meant…you know…like the usual doctors and all."

Oishi just laughed, a little embarrassed by the awed look on the other's face, "There aren't many who actually have healing magic anymore, I guess. But yes, I am."

Sakurai dropped suddenly into a deep bow, accompanied by his companions, "Could we please ask a favor of you?"

Flustered and surprised, Oishi glanced back at his own accomplices—only to find they were equally shocked, "I—I…of course…if I can help… What…"

"It's our captain, he is severely injured. We have been treating his wounds but we don't have the skill or the power to actually heal him—we were sure he was going to die. But now…"

Understanding dawning in his green eyes, Oishi nodded, "Where is he?"

The four straightened and Ishida turned, "This way."

The others trailed a few feet behind Oishi and the four, cloaked men. They exchanged looks before Momo voiced what they were all thinking.

"Captain? Like in army?"

X

The injured man had been placed carefully on a spread cloak in an alcove that was attached to a wider cavern that showed the signs of having been used as living quarters. His face was pale and his breathing shallow and someone had wrapped his midriff, right arm, and right leg in bandages, but dark stains could be seen on the bandaging and there were traces of fading cuts and bruises all over the other arm and face—that and lingering patches of dried blood.

"We did our best," Uchimura said quietly, "but the bleeding never stopped completely."

"How did this happen?" the healer asked, frowning.

"We were part of the Imperial Guard," Mori replied darkly, "but they turned on us when they found out that we were magic wielders and that at least three of us were strong ones. We refused to accept the terms and become part of the Elite, so they tried to kill us. Captain Tachibana was severely injured covering our retreat and we still lost Kamio and Shinji. Heaven only knows what they did to 'em, the bastards."

Nodding, Oishi knelt down beside the injured man and started extracting items from the pouch he always carried.

x-X-x

"So, you guys were the ones who created that cave thing we fell from, right?" Momo asked, his voice echoing strangely from the cavern walls.

"Yep," Mori nodded, "looks like we didn't make the floor well enough though eh?"

"Does that mean you dug all the way down here?" Fuji asked in wonder.

"No," Sakurai laughed, "the staircase and everything were all already here. That cave up top was actually once a very small shrine of some kind. We came across it purely by luck."

"We think it might be connected to the tunnel network that used to link the major cities," Ishida added. "You know, the ones that were created before the Empire to make it easier for the Alliance officials and messengers to get from the capital to other important settlements in case of emergency."

"I've heard about those," Ryoma said thoughtfully. "I wonder if they still work…"

Mori shrugged, "We aren't exactly eager to get back to the capital, so we didn't look much farther than this. It mostly seems clear though. By the way, you've heard our story, how came you to our humble hideout?"

"We fell nyah!"

"Other than that, I mean."

"That would be a long story," Inui replied, "however, it basically boils down to escaping from guards and the Elite."

All four former guards straightened up abruptly, "The Elite? They're here?"

"Some of them are," Tezuka said shortly.

"But we burned down their camp nyah," the redheaded Speaker grinned broadly. "They won't be following us for a few days if they haven't already."

"But that means we have to move soon," Mori frowned, looking rather less than pleased. "Where to go though…"

Ryoma smirked slightly, "I have a suggestion. And I even have directions, once Oishi gets your friend over there into a stable condition."

_And we thought we wouldn't find that many loose mages_, he thought smugly, leaning back against a particularly large stalagmite and crossing his arms behind his head. _Boy is Master Sumire going to be surprised. I should probably send them a different way from ours though…fewer targets in one place the fewer problems we should attract. And in the meantime we can rest a bit._

He sighed, letting his eyes drift slowly shut. For some reason the rest of their little congregation had shifted to talking about recent developments in the Empire—something he didn't find the least bit interesting in any way, shape, or form. It was just something about an uproar starting somewhere towards the Southwest due to the alleged poisoning of some Lord Yukimura who had been representing the people when he objected to how much power the Elite were gaining………

Glancing over, Momo realized that Ryoma had fallen asleep. Smiling slightly, he picked up his cloak from where he had folded it and tucked it carefully behind his friend's head as a cushion from the stone.

TBC

**Notes**:

Mori: I think this is the last name, but I am not entirely sure, so for now I am using it as such. However, if I'm wrong, please let me know!

A.N: Questions, comments, and suggestions welcome. I'm still collecting my thoughts, and thinking about background pieces, but this kind of just popped to mind… Anyways, I hope you guys liked it


	10. Chapter 9

**A.N**. Okay, I know I am one of the slowest updaters in existence, but I can say with absolute honesty that this has been the busiest time of my life. Anyhow! Hope you enjoy! Oh, and thank you to Einid's "Ancient Prophecy" for re-inspiring my interest in fantasy AU writing.

Disclaimer: The usual

Chapter 9

"—Once you get there, tell them you were sent by Ryoma Echizen to see Master Sumire Ryuzaki, and they should let you in. Is that clear?"

"Yep," Mori nodded then grinned, sticking out his hand. "Since the captain's still a bit more than woozy, I'll thank you for him! You know," he added, his face turning serious, "we really are grateful…to be honest, none of us really thought we'd survive."

Blinking a bit uncertainly, Ryoma accepted the proffered hand and shook it. He had, after all, only been doing his job. But something stopped him from voicing the thought. It was…this feeling…it rose in his chest when he looked at the ragged band of former soldiers before him—at the way Ishida and Uchimura were supporting their captain and the way all their eyes were fierce and bright despite the condition they were in.

"And you," Mori turned to face Oishi, "Healer Oishi, we are forever in your debt."

Smiling warmly, Oishi shook his head but accepted the handshake, "No, there is no such thing as debt healing. Life is always more precious than death, and as long as you remember that you owe me nothing."

"I'll remember that," chucking, Mori shook the hand of each of the others who had fallen so unceremoniously into the midst of his squad's affairs. That done, he stepped back a bit and bowed, that same, slightly mischievous grin spreading once more across his features. "We shall meet again, I'm sure, but until then I must say I hope you burn a few more Elite camps. Oh, and if you had anything that didn't fall through with you the entrance you came from should be a little northwest of here. I have to warn you though, those who were looking for us may be a lot nearer now—and trust me, they never stop looking."

"Hurry up Mori," Sakurai tapped his companion on the shoulder pointedly. "Talking their ears off isn't exactly the best way to show gratitude."

"Right, right, bye then!"

And the five former soldiers turned and started off, their faces turned northward towards a hope that seemed to wrap them in a golden glow. For the briefest of moments, the captain stirred, turning his head slightly to look back over his shoulder. His eyes were clear for an instant and he stared back at them, his gaze sharp and unwavering.

x-X-x

"This is unacceptable!" hurling a shattered tent pole against a nearby boulder hard enough to shatter it into a myriad of splintered pieces, Atobe scowled. "_Failure_ is unacceptable!"

"Wow," Gakuto whistled, watching as the captain stalked back and forth through the ruined camp. "Who would've thought the oh so lofty Keigo Atobe could throw tantrums?"

Whirling on the redhead, Atobe's eyes flashed, "And what of you? It was your idiocy that brought those damned outlaws here in the first place! The _wrong_ outlaws, I might add!"

"You just had to go and put your foot in it," Oshitari muttered out of the corner of his mouth as he stepped smoothly between his enraged superior and loose lipped partner. "Really Atobe, the damage is but little. And we still have time. After all, now we know which way they fled and—"

"Don't make excuses," Atobe cut him off coldly, voice edged in steel. "You were the one who suggested we use them as bait, were you not? And you couldn't even put a dent in just _one_ of the outlaw's defenses! You do realize that they are now in that fiend Kirihara's domain?"

"We can get permission to search it," the dark haired man replied reasonably, letting the accusation slide off of him like water off of stone despite the urge to bristle. "It is our mission to capture the outlaws after all, thus we should not be region bound."

Atobe snorted, "That doesn't mean much to some, does it?"

"Ah, Captain—"

"Don't you dare agree with them," Atobe snapped, shooting a glare at the approaching orange haired youth. "Those two escaped under your watch Akutagawa, even if Mukahi should have known better than to put them there in the first place."

Rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish smile, the boy shrugged, "Sorry."

Sighing, Atobe ran a hand through his hair, "So what was it you were saying?"

"Well, Hiyoshi just got back with the order of entry. Oh—and he says that that camp prison thingy by Djida that Lieutenant Kirihara's in charge of has received orders to give us aid should we need it."

"What?" Gakuto burst out in indignation. "We don't need their help!"

"Did anyone say we did?" Atobe inquired icily, letting his gaze sweep over the ruined camp before he turned and headed for the trees. "Oshitari, send a message to the nearest city to get this cleaned up, we're moving out."

x-X-x

"Finiko! Triad!" Eiji exclaimed ecstatically, throwing his arms around the two horses' necks as though he hadn't seen them for years. "Did you miss me?"

They whickered softly and nudged their soft noses into his hair as though in confirmation. Watching from a few yards away, Kaidoh hissed under his breath. Pausing in his joyful reunion, Eiji cast a look at him over his shoulder and pulled a face.

"It is _not_ sappy nyah! And don't call people names unless you want to be called names too!"

"So which way are we headed?" Momoshiro wondered aloud, prodding Ryoma in the back of the shoulder. "Would we be going back north?"

"There is a seventy three out of one hundred chance that we would be intercepted by those searching for us," Inui interjected, adjusting his glasses as he glanced up at the afternoon sky. "The members of the Elite our new companions so graciously bid farewell to will not give up lightly, and if they knew in which direction their offenders fled…"

"I feel like we should go east," Ryoma remarked, casting an eye up at the sun. "Maybe we'll find something on the way."

"Do you sense anything?" Momo asked curiously. Magic had always baffled him—magical sensing least of all. How, after all, could you _feel_ someone's presence when they were miles and miles away? Still, it did seem to be accurate.

Ryoma paused for a moment, frowning as his fingers toyed with the fabric of his cloak, "Something to the south and a little to the east, but it's hard to identify…"

"It is a muffled signal."

All three of them turned, startled, to find the tall one with the spectacles watching them with sharp, unreadable eyes.

"It is being muted by a barrier—most likely one that absorbs released power, judging by the diffusion of individual signals. There must be a second barrier for concealment, however it has not been renewed or reinforced for quite some time, possibly due to either overconfidence or the belief that there is no reason to hide."

"Which means they're probably not all renegades," Fuji mused from where he was standing near the horses, his strange, closed eyes somehow managing to look thoughtful while holding on to his serene smile. "Are we going to be investigating then? It can't be more than…let's see…three, four days' travel."

The Observer's glasses glinted as he smiled slightly to himself. Glancing sideways, he caught a flash of shock on the youngest sorcerer's face. This was going to be an interesting journey—he could feel it in his bones. He had seen many an event in his long existence, but something felt different about this one…

Oblivious to the spectacle of his gaping—not that Ryoma ever really _gaped_, per say—friend and the fiendishly grinning—an expression worthy of fleeing from—Inui, Momo scratched the back of his head, "Are you sure about that?"

Fuji tilted his head slightly to one side, "The likely unfriendliness or the days?"

"Both, I guess," shifting his weight from foot to foot, the swordsman glanced around uncertainly. Something about the aura being emitted by his companions made him feel uncomfortably like he was missing something. "Like, do you think we should actually be going to see these guys if they're…ah, not likely to be nice people?"

He would have said 'if they're going to be part of the Elite', but he was relatively certain someone would have mentioned if they were…or would they? It wasn't as though they really _knew_ these people…

"We're going."

Startled, he turned to stare at Ryoma. The sorcerer's eyes were slightly narrowed and sharp as the blade at the warrior's side as they stared unwaveringly at the two other magic wielders.

x-X-x

The chamber was small, its walls hewn from an uneven stone that glittered in the darkness as though they contained the stars of heaven in their depths. And yet, for all their light, they could not outshine the singe sphere of radiance that hovered in the center of the chamber—the moon for all their stars. It was bright in the manner that would have been blinding if not for its cool touch and aura of detachment from the material world around it, and yet its light played across the floor, the ceiling, and the walls in rippling waves of liquid light, wrapping its tender arms around the single figure sitting before it.

She was clad in a sleeveless robe the color of butter, though it had taken on a cast of white in the presence of that sylvan light. Submerged in the absolute stillness of the chamber her face was calm but for a small frown line between her brows as she stared straight into the sphere of light so that its radiance painted her eyes a strange shade of tinted silver white.

The minutes drew by slowly—unheard—and her hands clenched slowly where they rested in her lap. Finally, with a turn of the head that felt like a shock in the accustomed stillness of the chamber, she shook her head and stood, her lips pressing together into a worried line as her eyes lost the shine of the orb.

Turning, she moved swiftly to the chamber entrance where it lay hidden among the shadows and the stars. And as she stepped out and swung the door shut behind her, the sphere of light flared once before melting away into the darkness, leaving only the stars behind.

X

"Master Sumire."

"What is it?"

"I," a momentary pause, a deep, agitated breath, "I've lost them."

There was a moment of silence, "Lost? What do you mean?"

"Well… I had been tracking their progress as you instructed. This morning I knew exactly where they were and I knew that they were heading northwest. From there I believe they stared east. But…"

"But?" the other prompted.

"I don't know… It's like they walked into some kind of barrier—a shielded area, most likely—and they were just gone. I can't even locate what it is that's hiding them from my sight!"

The room fell quiet, neither stirring, the one waiting for an answer and the other pondering.

Finally, the messenger couldn't stand it anymore, "Master Sumire? Aren't we going to send someone after them?"

"No."

A started gasp, "Whte?"

"No, Shiba, we are not going to go look for them," tired eyes turned to stare out through the open window that was the room's only source of light, revealing a face lined with the marks of time that had been set into a grim mask. The few weak beams of sunlight that managed to slide in through that one window painted smoky lines through graying brown hair. "We are going to wait. If they really have been captured, then for us to follow would be for us to walk ourselves into the waiting arms of the Elite. And that, I am sure I need not remind you, is something we _cannot_ do."

"But Master Sumire—"

She was cut off as those same aged yet sharp eyes fixed themselves upon her. Her mouth drying, she swallowed and looked away.

Sighing, the elder closed her eyes, "They are strong. That is why they were sent, was it not? Because you said they were the ones who had to go?"

"I…I know…" she sighed deeply. "But you know these things are never sure…"

A wry smile played across the elder's face, "Nothing ever is."

**TBC**

**QUESTION**: Can someone please tell me Shiba and Inoue's first and last names—in that order—if you know them? I would really appreciate it!

**A.N**. So…questions, comments, and suggestions would all be vastly appreciated. I hope you liked it!


	11. Chapter 10

**A.N**. Thank you to everyone who helped me with the names! Sorry this took so long, I'm still kind of stewing over it… And thank you for all your reviews, they're very encouraging.

Disclaimer: POT Characters not mine

* * *

Chapter 10

The good thing about small towns, Fuji mused as he strode down a dusty street made of nothing more imposing than packed earth, was that they never heard anything when it came to news. To them—as it was to so many in the world—the world was but a small place consisting of the ground beneath their feet, the house, the neighbors, the job, and the grocer's down the street. They neither knew nor wanted to know that beyond all this yet another world existed—a world greater than anything they could ever comprehend. Sometimes, in those few moments when he allowed himself to, he truly envied them.

On the other hand, nothing in small towns happened without every last person within the perimeters of said limited world knowing about it. It seemed that what they lacked in current events they made up for with the small details of daily life. In fact, he was sure that three months from now they would every last one of them still remember that two strangers had walked into their town and be able to describe every stitch they wore. The thought made him chuckle.

Standing near him, Tezuka frowned slightly, eyeing the brunette warily. He couldn't see anything amusing, and there was something almost disturbing about people who laughed at nothing. Shaking his head, he turned instead to scan the small, street side shops for something that might contain the items they had come for.

The options were…limited.

"Over there," Fuji said suddenly, tapping him on the shoulder and pointing to a tiny building at the far end of said options. "Someone just led a horse back there."

Nodding shortly, Tezuka started in the indicated direction. Watching his retreating back, Fuji's constant smile slipped a little. He wasn't entirely sure why the other sorcerer had chosen to accompany him on this little jaunt into town, but he rather suspected it was to make sure he didn't make off with the pendant. The thought was irritating, even if it was perfectly understandable. He had said that he would go to the Sorcerien—if only to see their archives—and he would. Most believed him when he gave his word, but here… And yet the fact that it was irritating was almost amusing.

Hurrying after him, Fuji let the thoughts drift from his mind like leaves on the autumn wind. Such things were of no consequence in the long run of time.

The small shop at the end of the street had its back wall joined to a small, four-stall stable that looked distinctly weathered. The door creaked slightly as Tezuka pushed it open and the small man inside looked up at him with only one raised eyebrow and no real sign of surprise.

"Do come in. How may I help you?" the small man inquired, sitting straighter on his stool. He was holding a rag in one hand and a saddle lay on the work table before him.

Stepping fully into the shop, Tezuka could hear his companion closing the door behind him. The shop smelled of warm leather and oil all laced through with the odor of horses. The last was most likely due to the stable outside though. The walls weren't thick—the angry voices drifting through it attested to that.

"We need brushes," he explained, squinting slightly in the sudden gloom that the shutting of the door had left behind. "For horses," he added as an afterthought. Behind him, Fuji laughed.

"Right then." Getting to his feet, the shopkeeper dropped his rag and walked over to a low shelf at the back of the shop. "Any requirements? Preferences?"

Tezuka opened his mouth, then paused. He didn't know much about horses, never having had much contact with them. He had ridden a few, true, but when it came to horse care… Turning, he gave his companion an inquiring look.

Fuji looked back at him with a vague smile. He really didn't know that much about horse care either. It had always been Eiji handling that sort of thing—in fact, it was the redhead who was responsible for this little errand. He had insisted that the horses wanted to be brushed, and seeing as even the snake-eyed Speaker had been in agreement on this translation of their four-legged companions' desires it had been decided that brushes were to be bought. It was only fair after all, with everything that had been going on, to give the horses a little comfort of their own.

The problem was that neither Speaker had been 'available' to do the purchasing. Eiji had gone scouting early in the morning with the loud declaration that he'd seen enough of towns for a few days yet, and Kaidoh had only mumbled something about always being arrested for no reason before disappearing into the trees.

_It just goes to show, doesn't it?_ Fuji thought ruefully.

Tezuka turned back to the shopkeeper, "Whatever is most conventional will do."

The man gave him an odd look then shrugged. "If you say so."

x-X-x

The flames crackled and hissed, ripping twigs and small, dry leaves into tiny fragments of ash with relish. They were bright and hot—almost unbearably so, with the sun's radiant heat already in the sky, but Ryoma ignored all this as he continued to stare into their leaping, dancing depths. A furrow appeared between his eyebrows and he leaned slightly more forward, his face almost too close to the flames. Beads of sweat stood out on his forehead, though whether they were from the heat or exertion it was hard to tell.

Watching him from the outskirts of the small clearing, Momoshiro frowned slightly.

"Ryoma?" he called out hesitantly. His friend had been sitting at that very spot for almost three whole hours now and the swordsman couldn't help but start to feel a little uneasy. The problem was that he knew most, if not all, sorcerers tended to get a bit upset when their spells were interrupted. Something about backlash, though what that was he didn't really understand.

Instead he settled himself down at the base of a towering oak and leaned his back against its rough trunk. Around them all the morning air was slightly moist and cool with the emerald shade of the trees. It was almost possible, bathed in the thick veils of tranquility, to pretend that they were back in the mountains where they belonged with the rest of their families and the friends they had grown up with.

"Argh! This is ridiculous!" Ryoma snarled in frustration, jerking Momo out of his reverie with an unpleasantly sharp crack of sound. Blinking, the swordsman watched in bewilderment as his friend got to his feet and kicked dirt over the fire with a vengeance he didn't often see in the young sorcerer. The fire died with a panicked hiss, emitting a few last wisps of smoke before dwindling away completely.

"What's wrong?" he asked quickly, getting to his feet as well and wrapping an uncertain hand around his sword hilt. Whatever it was that was bothering his friend, he was sure it wasn't going to be a problem a blade could solve, but reflex was reflex and, for a warrior, a weapon was the best first resort when sharp words started flying.

"I can't get through," Ryoma snapped, glaring down at the smoldering earth by his feet as though it was where all the blame was to be laid.

"Get through?" Momoshiro repeated, confused.

The sorcerer sighed, "I was trying to contact the Sorcerien. I've been having this bad feeling… I wanted to ask if the record keeper knew anything about this area." Falling silent, he turned to look moodily up at the spreading canopy overhead. "It's as though there's some kind of barrier here, but I don't _sense_ anything."

"What about those sorcerers we're supposed to be finding?

"They're still there," Ryoma replied absently, though his frown only deepened. There were several minutes of silence, then the sorcerer shook his head and looked directly at Momo as though he had just really noticed that his friend was there. "Have the others returned yet?"

Momo shrugged. "I don't know. They hadn't when I came to check on you, but they could have now."

Nodding, Ryoma headed for the trees back in the direction they had come from.

x-X-x

Pacing back and forth across the sizable clearing that their little band of travelers had chosen to camp out in, Oishi glanced anxiously from side to side, scanning the tree line after every few steps. The only other being in the clearing aside from the quietly grazing horses was Inui, who was sitting on a moss covered stump, a thick, leather bound book open in one hand and a gleaming, silver quill in the other. The scratching of the quill against parchment had been going on for so long that Oishi thought he might still hear it if he was to stick his fingers in his ears. He didn't even bother wondering why the writer didn't seem to need ink. The Observer was, after all, a recorder of time—or at least that was what he understood from what Inui had told him over the years.

It was still disconcerting though.

Turning to the trees again, Oishi scanned the canopy, hoping for a splash of red. Kikumaru had been gone for a long time, but scouting could be a lengthy business…still, Tezuka at least ought to have returned. How long could it take two sorcerers to purchase a few brushes? At least he knew the last three weren't too far away…just out of sight…or at least he hoped Kaidoh was only out of sight. The youth didn't seem to like hanging around them…or maybe he was just being overly anxious…

"Stop thinking about it."

Oishi blinked, turning slowly to face Inui. "What?"

The Observer adjusted his glasses. "You are agonizing over the others. Don't. Or…not yet at least."

Oishi stiffened. "What—when—"

"Syuichiroh," Inui shook his head in mock despair. "You know that is simply how the world works. No life is lived without risk, whether chosen or otherwise."

Sighing, Oishi's shoulders slumped, "I know, I know…"

_You can't blame a man for worrying though_, he added silently. _If anything, it's probably all more worth worrying about _because_ it's inevitable._

x-X-x

It was sunny—that much was indisputable—but the problem was that it was the one thing he didn't really need to know and everything else just _had_ to be his imagination. There was really no other explanation, or at least if there were they weren't coming willingly to mind.

Sprawled out before and beneath him was what appeared to be a camp of some sort, only it was far larger than any camp ought to be. Granted, that alone was surprising but not shocking—Eiji was, after all, not stupid, even if he had spent most of his life beyond sight of any manmade house. It was more that he had never before even imagined a camp where there would be people sitting suspended in midair in its very center. There were five of them, each sitting with their legs crossed and heads down so that he couldn't see their faces. They were back-facing each other and they appeared to have their hands tied behind their backs.

Prisoners perhaps then? But they were floating…and no one else moving around them seemed the least bit surprised… Eiji had never been much of one for investigating the workings behind such operations as the capturing and containing of prisoners, the policies of the government, or any other matter of similar kind, but he was sure that floating was not part of what prisoners were generally expected to do or how they were usually dealt with. It had to be a spell of some kind then, but even the Elite didn't cast superfluous spells. It was, according to Fuji at least, one of the basic rules of magic—never waste power where power wasn't needed.

There was simply no logical explanation for the need to levitate prisoners.

"Maybe it's a side effect?" he mused quietly, leaning a little more forward and squinting at the prisoners. He couldn't see anything in the air around them…not that he really expected to. If it was a side effect of some other spell, and since these were undoubtedly prisoners of some sort, then the spell had to be present for a specific reason, most likely in the department of containment. And since most prisoners, up to and including the fiercest of rebels, were generally easily dealt with by heavy, iron chains, these particular captives had to have some ability other than brute strength and cunning that might allow escape.

_They have to be the sorcerers Fuji and the others were sensing_, he realized. A shiver ran down his spine and he found himself shrinking away from the thin beams of sunlight that fell through the leaves overhead. So this was what they did to those they found who were magically gifted… An image of Fuji sitting down there were the disheartened prisoners flashed unbidden through his mind and he gave his head a hurried shake. Such things were best left not thought.

Behind him, a crow let out an ear-piercing caw and he clamped his hands over his mouth to stifle a yelp of surprise. Spinning around—and blessing the inhuman sense of balance he had been born with—he scrambled away from the round, beady, black eyes that were now staring at him. He'd never liked crows. They were extremely intelligent birds, but he had never met one that didn't have a wicked streak a mile wide and a delight in confusion. Worse, they were always one step ahead when it came to bad news.

"What do you want?" he hissed—or rather, squawked. He didn't really think about what language he wanted to speak anymore these days, it had become instinct.

The crow cocked its head to one side but remained silent. A single shaft of sunlight traced a pale, silver line down its beak. Not so much as a feather stirred.

Locking gazes with those round, beady eyes, Eiji found himself holding his breath. It was a very well fed crow, he noted somewhere in the back of his mind, very glossy all over with just the right sheen of healthy black and a slightly plump body that attested to good living. But then he looked closer, and he realized something strange that he couldn't understand.

The crow's eyes were not black but reddish orange—or at least they were around the rim. Round and smooth as a pair of glass beads, they gleamed like chips of fire with points of black in their centers, all but insignificant in their presence.

A sudden flash of motion, the sound of wings beating the air, and Eiji jerked out of his daze as the crow launched itself skyward. It let out a grating caw and the Speaker tilted his head back, following the bird's progress through the air with his eyes. It was gone in moments and he let out a long breath.

"What was that all about nyah?" he wondered out loud to himself, scratching the back of his head. It couldn't have had red and orange eyes…he must have been seeing things. Spending too much time with sorcerers could do that to a person.

Sitting back on his heels, he blinked when his entire body dropped a few inches lower than he had expected to. Glancing down, he saw nothing but branches and the ground, which was thinly coated with grass and looked anything but soft.

Shifting his weight slightly, he was rewarded with another abrupt change in elevation, only this time he heard the creak. Turning slowly, he stared down the length of the branch to where the crow had been sitting. The base of the branch that he had chosen for its sturdy width and apparently solid attachment to the tree trunk had cracked. Only it didn't like quite like a normal split of wood as caused by excessive burdens. It was only slightly ragged around the edges instead of being splintered, and there was the faint smell of charcoal in the air that had been unnoticeable up until now.

Eiji's stomach sank. "Not good…"

And the air was rushing by.

Twisting around in the air reflexively, he hit the ground in a roll. Bounding to his feet, the first thought that flashed through his mind was '_I seem to be doing a lot of falling lately_'—which he might have found absurdly funny at any other time—but the many sets of eyes now directed in his direction prevented any such contemplation. They were hostile eyes, most accompanied with sets of unpleasantly pointy things.

He smiled nervously, backing up a step. "Um…sorry?"

* * *

**TBC**

**A.N**. Hmm…I know there wasn't much action here, but there should be more soon. As usua, questions, comments, and suggestions are welcome.


	12. Chapter 11

A.N. This chapter was turning out a lot longer than I expected so I cut it in half to post this part first because I'll be out of the country soon. I'll get the other up before I leave if I can. Hope you enjoy

Disclaimer: POT characters not mine

* * *

Chapter 11

A group of particularly prickly looking guards strode forward as Eiji stood under the tree that had betrayed him. The branch he had occupied lay beside his feet, still and unhelpful as vegetation had a tendency to be. Sweat was beginning to trickle down the back of his neck, making his skin feel clammy and uncomfortable and he was struck with the strange and sudden urge to scratch.

_Fuji would think that was funny_, he thought fleetingly before giving himself the mental equivalent of a slap on the forehead. _What are you thinking?! They've got spears aimed your way and all you can come up with is that Fuji would find it funny?_

"Who are you and what are you doing here?" the nearest guardsman demanded, his voice oddly tense despite the fact that he was the one who was armed—heavily armed, at that. The Speaker wasn't going to give up the opening though. These guards were probably new at their job.

"I was just passing by," Eiji said quickly, bobbing his head up and down and grinning sheepishly. "Didn't mean to cause any trouble or anything. If you wouldn't mind, I'd be glad to be on my way and out of your hair…?" Trailing off, he turned large, hopeful eyes on all the guard's now confused faces as he edged slowly back towards the trees.

"You're from the village, aren't you?" scowling, the spokesman guard took another step forward. "How many times do we have to tell you people to stay out of our way?"

"Oh—no, no, I didn't know you were here. I won't cause you any trouble, if you'd just—"

"Move aside."

The calm command cut through the air, smooth yet hard, and the guards shifted uneasily, their backs snapping ramrod straight as though caught in a sorcerer's binding spell. Hurriedly parting like drawn curtains, they watched as a tall man with dark colored hair made his way towards the intruder. He carried no weapons, but his presence felt heavy nonetheless.

Eiji gulped. The man had his eyes closed, reminding him a little of Fuji, but he had the sudden urge to leap back into the forest regardless of the guards and the bows and arrows some of them carried. But he stood still, watching.

The man too stood motionless, scrutinizing him with unseen eyes. Minutes crawled by and it was almost painfully obvious to the redhead's sensitive ears that the forest around them was silent. Then the man shook his head and turned away.

"He is not one of them."

The guards relaxed slightly at his words, but when one of them opened his mouth to speak he was interrupted by the harsh, rasping cry of a crow.

Jerking as though they had all of them been struck by lightning, all eyes flew upward to where a single, black shape circled against the pale blue of the sky. Even the man with the closed eyes turned, though his expression was unreadable. Over them all, the bird circled then dipped, glaring at them all through beady, crimson eyes before flapping ebony wings to send itself skyward once more.

"I guess the lieutenant wishes an audience regardless," the man murmured, waving at the guards. "Put him with the other prisoners. We will move out in half an hour."

"Yes, Sir!" they chorused, saluting. Then, as though they had rehearsed it, they turned in unison to face the confused Speaker.

Eiji blinked, "What—hey! That's not—"

Cutting himself off, he leapt into the air as the nearest guard suddenly lunged towards him. Landing feet first on the already off-balanced man's head, the redhead sent him sprawling to the ground and catapulted himself towards the trees. The twang of a bowstring struck his eardrums and he threw himself sideways as something whisked past his ear. Rolling to his feet, he found to his dismay that there were now three guards between him and the route back to camp.

Cursing inwardly, he spun and sprinted in a different direction, performing a perfect handspring over yet another arrow. Seriously, these people were either overly confident in their aim or so desperate to make sure they caught him that they would risk the wrath of whoever this lieutenant they wanted him to see was. After all, a dead man couldn't have an audience with anyone, except maybe another dead man—but that was a different matter altogether.

Grinning as an idea struck him, he cart-wheeled past one of the bowman, snatching the man's weapon right out of his hands and relieving him of his quiver for good measure. Stunned, the guard stared at him with his mouth agape, but Eiji was in too much of a hurry to appreciate the sight.

Bounding backward, he notched at arrow to the bowstring and drew it back to his ear as his feet landed in a solid stance. He wasn't the world's greatest archer, but neither were they the world's smartest guards.

"Don't come any closer!" he shouted, eyes narrowing his he leveled the arrow at the man he had stolen it from. The poor fellow's face had completely drained of blood and his companions weren't looking much better, though since it wasn't their lives in danger they just seemed baffled as to what to do. That was good, in Eiji's opinion, perfect actually.

Grinning, he adjusted his position a little—only to find that he couldn't move. Startled, he scanned his surroundings as best he could while being unable to turn his head. Nothing.

"Seriously." The voice was coming from behind him—the voice he recognized as belonging to the man from before who had given the order for them to go after him. "It's no wonder efficiency is going downhill these days. There are at least nine of you and one of him, and yet here I find you're the ones with your hands in the air—so to speak."

Gritting his teeth, Eiji struggled to move, or at least to turn enough so as to be able to see the man who had paralyzed him, but it was no use.

_Ah well_, he thought in resignation as the embarrassed guards approached, _at least I'll get to find out what's up with that stupid crow. I knew I never liked those birds._

x-X-x

"I hate having to do this, Hiroshi."

Pulling the stable door shut, the speaker reached out to pat his gray gelding on the nose. It whickered softly, tail swishing.

"True, but it is necessary if we wish to retain the peace we currently have," his companion replied, adjusting his glasses.

"It's having to deal with _him_ in particular though…" He wrinkled his nose at the thought. "It always gives me the chills. You're nervous too, aren't you?" he added, eyeing the erratic pulses in the green light that wreathed his friend. The usually steady aura was currently laced through with ripples of yellow that vanished and reappeared unexpectedly, the mark of a nervous spirit struggling not to show his uncertainty.

Hiroshi sighed. He never liked being scrutinized, especially not by those he knew could see more than a person ought to be able to see. "There are…many more pleasant tasks, I admi—Masaharu?"

Sharp eyes having snapped wide open at something Hiroshi—again—could not see, the silver haired youth directed his piercing gaze towards the stable wall. He studied it for a long moment, a frown creasing his brow, then he shook his head, looking puzzled.

"I could have sworn…"

"What is it?"

"It's…nothing." Shaking his head, Masaharu turned. "Let's go then, we can't be late if we want them to take us seriously."

X

Stepping out of the shop with the acquired brushes in a small bag the shopkeeper had kindly provided, Tezuka and Fuji had only just turned to head back out of town when two strangers dressed in traveling clothes appeared from around the corner where the stables were. A tingle at the edge of his senses made Tezuka stiffen and he stepped quickly back into the shadows, pulling Fuji along with him as he murmured a quick shielding spell. Glancing curiously up at him, Fuji considered asking, but chose not to. Instead he followed the other sorcerer's gaze to the two travelers. One was wearing a pair of extremely round glasses that caught the sun's light, obscuring his eyes. He had a long bow and a quiver of arrows slung across his back. His companion carried a standard sword, though his eyes were unusually bright. He was staring at them with a slight frown as though he thought he should be seeing something that he wasn't. Finally he turned away with a little shake of his head, muttering something to himself. The two disappeared down the street.

"That one has power…" Fuji murmured, his own expression speculative as he watched them go. "Not a sorcerer's power though…"

"They may still be dangerous," Tezuka said quietly. "We cannot let our guards down. We should get back to the others quickly."

"I do wonder what they're up to though."

"That is not one of our concerns right now."

"Hmm… Are you telling me that you aren't curious?" Fuji arched his eyebrows in a mild show of disbelief.

Tezuka turned away without answering and headed down the street again. There were a lot of things that happened that one should care about, but the point was that there was only so much time allotted to each person and for people like them that time was even more limited because they didn't have the luxury of a stable life to work from. The best they could do was to move forever forward and face the obstacles that came up there—they were numerous enough as it was.

He halted abruptly near the edge of the town. Something didn't feel right. Turning, he scanned the street behind him then to either side. He was alone.

He wasn't generally one for cursing—it was neither dignified nor particularly useful in any situation—but if he had been a man of that sort he would most certainly have been exclaiming away. Pivotting sharply on his heels, he strode quickly back the way he had come, visualizing the path the strange travelers had taken.

x-X-x

Letting out an exasperated sigh, Eiji glared at the guards that tramped past him. They didn't so much as flinch—if anything, they didn't even notice, too busy scurrying mindlessly here and there on whatever mundane errands they had to care about one little prisoner who wasn't even 'one of them', whatever that meant. The redhead snorted. Jeez, here he was, letting them off easy by not trying to escape, and they couldn't even pay him the courtesy of looking at him once in a while.

What more, sitting next to a bunch of bound and _floating_ people wasn't exactly the most comfortable place to be. It only served to worsen the situation once the prisoner next to him—a young man with lank, dark hair that looked a little bit on the 'in severe need of washing soon' side—began to eye him curiously.

"Why does he sound so impatient? It is hardly a wonderful thing to be a prisoner headed for who knows what, but it is most probably better here than anywhere else," the stranger was musing to himself as though he thought Eiji couldn't hear him. "They never did tell us exactly where they were taking us, but I suppose that could be a good thing. It would be better not to know too far before hand if they were going to execute us or something of the like—but maybe if they did it'd be better to know after all because then one could prepare for it. Hmm… I'm not sure what I would do if they were going to execute me, it doesn't really seem like it's worth all the trouble to drag us all this way just for it either. I would like to tell my mother though, but she'd probably rather not know… Yes—"

"Mister—"

"—it is better that everything is the way it is, unless of course they really are going to kill us all—which would probably be better for them—but then I think I would rather be elsewhere—"

"Excuse me—"

"I wonder if they would answer me if I asked them where we were going? There is no harm in such a question after all, since it is they who choose where it is, but—"

"Could you please be quiet?!" Eiji exclaimed finally, patience running out. "I mean, talking's all well and good nyah, but if you're going to talk _at_ me you can at least talk _to_ me."

The strange prisoner paused for a long moment and looked down at Eiji from his lofty perch in midair as though he had only just seen him or remembered that he existed. Then he opened his mouth—and started muttering again.

"Did I do something wrong? He's looking at me like I did something wrong… Maybe he knows where we're going. It's probably not a very good place if he's so irritated already, I wonder…"

Eiji stared then let out a long sigh. _I can sure imagine a lot of ways this guy could have gotten himself imprisoned…_

"Don't bother about it," the prisoner on the mutterer's other side said in a resigned voice. "Shinji won't shut up when he's bored, annoyed, or just doesn't have anything else to do—and sitting here's pretty damned boring."

Craning his neck around, Eiji could just barely see the redhead who was talking. "Oh well, that's all right, I think I can understand that. So, why exactly are you all here?"

The redhead blinked, looking at him in surprise. "Isn't it obvious? We're being taken to some kind of prison somewhere—they won't tell us where though."

"That's not what I meant nyah!" Eiji laughed. "I mean, why are you guys being taken to prison? And come to think of it, why are you floating?"

The redhead snorted. "It was those ungrateful bastards who call themselves the Elite. We toss around a few small spells and they just lose it."

"And the floating?" Eiji pressed, now thoroughly intrigued. So these people had to all be magically gifted…

"We're not floating."

He blinked, taken aback. "You're…not? Are you sure?"

The redhead rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm sure." Twisting around, he pressed his shoulder against the air in front of him which apparently was occupied with something Eiji couldn't see. "What? You've never seen a containment field before? Seriously," pausing as a thought struck him, he frowned at Eiji. "Why are you here then? You're not like us."

"Ah," Eiji laughed a little uncomfortably, "I was…kinda watching this place when I fell out of a tree and the guards sort of freaked out and well, some crow was flying around overhead and they decided they'd take me along to see whoever it is you guys are going to see…"

"So that was the commotion I heard…"

"Well hm…what's your name nyah? I'm Eiji Kikumaru." He grinned, about to offer his hand before he realized it was tied behind his back.

The other redhead frowned slightly at him. "Akira Kamio," he said shortly.

Blinking, Eiji lowered his chin slightly. There was something familiar about the name…and come to think of it, that other one's name sounded familiar too… Shinji…Shinji and Akira Kamio… An image of damp, cavern walls flashed before his eyes and he sat bolt upright, an excited grin lighting up his face.

"Oh! You were Imperial Guards, right? I've met your friends nyah!"

Kamio's head snapped around so fast Eiji wouldn't have been surprised if he tore a muscle and Shinji stopped talking to himself to stare down at the Speaker with an intensity that was unnerving. He blinked uncertainly, looking from one to the other.

"Is…something wrong?"

"You _met_ Captain Tachibana and the others?" Kamio demanded. "Where? When?"

"Oh I don't know." Eiji grinned sheepishly. He wasn't that good at keeping track of time. Where he came from, it had never really mattered much. "It wasn't that long ago. We fell through the ground and they attacked us, then Oishi helped heal that badly injured guy and Echizen gave them directions to the mountains and they left. They're all great by the way, in case you were worried nyah."

"Directions to the mountains?" Shinji's quiet voice inquired, his face solemn.

"Yeah. I think it's to the Sor…Sor…" He trailed off, frowning. "Sor…Sorcerien! That's it."

Shinji shook his head. "The Sorcerien were destroyed by the Elite when the Empire was established, They were the most dangerous branch of the Alliance, or at least in the eyes of the Elite, and it was they who shared the touch of power. I wonder though…is it really so that those who wield the blade can never hope to attain the same strength and potency in battle as those who wield magic? I mean…"

Eiji watched the rambling continue for a few minutes before deciding he simply had to interrupt. He had a lot of explaining to do after all. It would be better to get started soon.

x-X-x

Darting behind a tree, Fuji pressed his back against the trunk, letting its hundred years of girth hide his own slight form from view. The two strangers had left town about twenty minutes ago but they were still walking deeper into the forest with the confident steps of those who knew exactly where they were going. He had been studying them carefully every step of the way and was now certain that his first impression had been correct. Whatever they were, they were not sorcerers. The problem was that he couldn't help but feel that the silver haired one at least was not entirely mundane either.

There were many types of supernaturally gifted in the world who were not sorcerers—they were simply the most well known because their powers were the most actively affective in the lives of those around them. The healers were perhaps the most recognized out of these others, though most of them were not strong enough to be clearly distinguishable from the skilled doctor. Them aside though there were still the Speakers, who could understand and speak any language whether man or beast at will, and the Seers, who cast their sights through the layers of time and space. There were the Callers and the Walkers who were all thought to have vanished not long after the Alliance broke, their powers dispersed by the four winds to become nothing more than legend. Each of the major branches had their own smaller divisions so that they formed an intricate web that crossed in many places yet still contained individual strands. If the silver haired man was one of these others there would be no magical signature to read. He would have to wait and see.

Standing much farther back behind a a different tree, Tezuka frowned. He could see his companion peering at the strangers and it was clear the other sorcerer wasn't about to turn around and leave any time soon. Letting out an inaudible sigh, he raised his left hand and murmured a quiet command. A small, translucent bird materialized in his palm.

"Inform Syuichiroh that we have been delayed and that we will return as soon as possible," he instructed it. "And take this to him," he added as an afterthought, holding up the small bag containing the brushes that had started the whole thing. The back vanished with a flash of light and the bird looked a little bit rounder, if not any bigger. "Go."

Spreading glimmering wings, the small creature launched itself into the air and was gone.

X

"Hiroshi."

Glancing sideways at his companion, the archer raised an inquisitive eyebrow. His companion was staring straight forward and speaking out of the corner of his mouth. "What is it?"

"We're being followed."

Hiroshi took in the comment, a slight frown flitting across his face. "The Elite?"

Masaharu gave his head a slight shake. "I can't tell. I thought I saw a spark, but not enough to judge anything."

They both fell silent then, their footsteps never once faltering. Around them the forest rustled gently.

"There's a clearing up ahead," Hiroshi said finally. The two traded looks. No more was said.

**

* * *

****TBC**

**Notes**:

The Crow: I know it was strange, but I promise it will be explained soon.

The Divisions: The names are extremely and mundanely simple, but it's because I find it's less confusing that way in the long run when I have to start talking about them more because they'll be the sub categories to add and everything. Again, I'll talk a little more in depth about them later. If they ever do get confusing, just ask me to clarify.

**A.N**. Hmm…I think that's everything for now. Comments, questions, suggestions always welcome. Again, I'll try to get the next part up before I go. I went to this convention recently and am feeling a lot more keyboard friendly right now


	13. Chapter 12

**A.N**. And here's the next part. This was probably one of the quickest updates for this story.

Disclaimer: POT characters not mine

* * *

Chapter 12

Small, furry ears twitched as large, soft eyes blinked inquisitively at the acorn that sat nestled between several long blades of grass. It hadn't expected to find an acorn out here, especially not when it had already been through this area several times recently. Scuttling forward cautiously, the owner of the eyes peered closely at the unexpected treat. It looked edible… Dainty, fur-covered paws reached out and lifted the acorn from its nest, turning it this way and that. It was a beautiful specimen. Chittering happily, it turned to leave, bushy tail swishing through the air, but a distant noise made it halt. Turning around curiously, its ears twitched.

Sitting next to his fellow prisoners, Eiji stared imploringly at the tiny squirrel that was so far away he could barely make it out. Calling out again, he waited, squinting. There was a slight movement and he grinned. Success!

Watching him curiously, Kamio and Shinji traded confused looks. The youth was making the most peculiar chittering sounds and he seemed extremely happy about something. They were just starting to wonder if perhaps he had lost it when a small, reddish brown squirrel darted from behind a tent to perch itself on his knee. Kamio's jaw dropped and Shinji stared, momentarily shocked silent.

Oblivious to his gaping audience, Eiji chitttered at the squirrel, who tilted its head slightly to the side as though listening intently. Then it chattered back, tail waving emphatically behind it. Eiji thought for a moment and chattered some more.

"Maybe I'm the one going crazy," Kamio muttered, giving his head a hard shake. But when he looked back the squirrel was still there and trading squeaks and other weird sounds with the other redhead.

This continued on for several minutes before the squirrel bobbed its head, whiskers twitching, turned, and darted back towards the trees, its bushy tail held high. Eiji chattered what had to be a farewell after it and grinned.

"Now we don't have to worry about a thing," he said happily as he turned back towards his new found friends. "So, how about telling me your side of the story nyah? It could pass the time."

But they were both staring at him. Frowning slightly, he cocked his head to one side and raised his eyebrows. Had he done anything weird? …No, not that he could recall. Everything he'd done over the past few days were things he'd done all his life.

"What?" he asked finally when they didn't appear to be about to explain on their own. "Is something wrong?"

"You were talking to a squirrel," Shinji said finally, brows furrowing slightly. :"But that is not possible, perhaps I imagined it… People do not talk to squiretls, or…do they? Maybe they just never do it in front of me. Does that mean I'm the only one who can't talk to squirrels? That would be kind of unfair…"

Eiji laughed. "Oh, that, don't worry about it! It's just something I—well, and Kaidoh too—do. Squirrels are kind of hard to keep up with though, so you should probably be glad you can't understand them! Of course, they can be really funny at times."

"You mean you were _actually_ talking to it?" Kamio asked, the disbelief etched all over his face.

"Her," Eiji corrected. "And yeah. I asked her to convey a messege to my friends for me. It took a while to explain how though, but I'm pretty sure she got it."

"Right…"

A distant cry drew all their attentions to a point beyond the surrounding tents that they couldn't quite see. What was visible between the various canvas structures was a lot of uniformed guards. They appeared to be gathering and someone was talking in a loud, carrying voice that simply didn't carry far enough for them o make it out.

"Sounds like we'll be moving out," Kamio muttered. "It's about time. I'm getting cramps in here."

A tall figure stepped out from between two tents and turned his face towards them for a moment, closed eyes speculative. Eiji looked back at him, that shiver running down his spine again. But the man turned without a word and disappeared in the direction of the gathering guards.

x-X-x

The fire crackled merrily, its bright tendrils flickering up to lick at the long, silvery bodies of the fish that were being held within them by long sticks. The smell of roasting fish was starting to elicit growls from several stomachs, but Oishi had positioned himself nearest the fire so he could make sure no one ate anything that was only half cooked. Momoshiro had complained that fish didn't always have to be thoroughly cooked, but the healer wasn't bending. Besides, he had argued, Kaidoh was the one who had caught the fish, and so he was the only one who had the right to say he wanted one early and since he wasn't complaining… The argument didn't seem to go so well though and had resulted in Momoshiro trying to get the snake-eyed Speaker to get him a half roasted fish and the two eventually going at each others throats when the latter refused on the basis of a healer's 'know better'. Tired of the noise, Echizen had zapped them both with a weakened lightning spell before lying back on the grass, hands behind his head, and promptly going to sleep.

Sighing, Oishi took one of the fish out of the fire and examined it closely. It was almost done. Casting a concerned look towards the trees he wondered when the others would return. Giving his head a little shake, he stuck the fish back in the fire.

Something tugged at his cloak. Started, he looked around. There was no one there. Kaidoh and Momoshiro were still sulking, Echizen was still sleeping, and Sadaharu was writing in one of his heavy, leather-bound books. The tug came again, more insistent this time, and he looked down only to feel his jaw drop as he found what was clearly a reddish brown squirrel with large, inquisitive eyes pulling on the gray cloth of his cloak. Once it had caught his attention it let go and began chittering excitedly, waving its paws in the air.

He blinked. "Um…Kaidoh? C—could you please come over here for a moment?"

Cocking its head to one side, the squirrel watched as Kaidoh grunted and rose from his spot on the grass. Seeing him moving towards the fire, Momoshiro bolted upright.

"If he's getting one of the fish now I get one too!"

"Shut up, idiot," Kaidoh hissed, turning his back on the swordsman. "You'll scare the poor creature with your uncivilized babbling fsuuu."

"Ha! More likely your face than my voice! What creature?"

Darting around Oishi, the squirrel bounded up to Kaidoh, scrambled up his trouser leg, around his arm, and perched on his shoulder. Momoshiro stared, mouth agape, but Kaidoh was listening too intently to the squirrel to take offense.

"Kikumaru's been put in a prison camp," he reported finally, turning to Oishi.

The healer leapt to his feet. "We have to—"

"Fshuu, he says not to come after him just yet."

Oishi froze, already halfway way across the clearing to where the horses were watching the festivities with interest. "What?"

The squirrel chattered some more and Kaidoh translated. "There's something…he wants to find out, so he wants us not to come for him until he's found whatever it is."

Bobbing its head, though whether in agreement or satisfaction at having successfully delivered its messege, the squirrel leapt clear from Kaidoh's shoulder to the ground and raced back into the trees.

Oishi watched it go as his shoulders slumped slightly. "But what can't do that. It's too dangerous for one of us to juet…just…"

Looking up from his writing, Inui adjusted his glasses. "He did not specify how long we must wait," he pointed out. "We can give him a day or two then follow. Besides, Tezuka and Fuji have not returned yet either."

Echizen cracked open one eye. "I don't think they'll be back anytime soon either."

Baffled, the others traded looks just as a glittering bird that seemed to be made of light swooped out of the sky above to hover in front of Oishi. It's body flashed a brilliant gold and a tooled leather back fell into the startled healer's hands before the bird seemed to unfold until it became a square of translucent gold with solid letters of light drawn across it.

"A sending," Inui remarked into the ensuing silence. "What doe sit say Syuichiroh?"

The healer let out a long, resigned sigh and sank to the ground as the sending dissolved in a shower of sparks. "They won't be back either," he said glumly. "Said we shouldn't wait for them…"

Rolling his eyes, Ryoma stood up, dusted off his cloak, and headed for the trees.

Momo started. "Hey, Ryoma, where are you—"

"To investigate those magical auras we tracked here," the young sorcerer cut in. "There's no use staying here anyway."

Inui nodded, tucking his book back into his pack. "I agree."

Kaidoh watched as the two disappeared into the forest. Moving quickly to the fire, he took three of the roasted fish, sticks and all, glanced back at Oishi for a moment, and hurried after the departing Observer.

"What—wait!" Breath puffing out in something that was not entirely exasperation and not entirely despair but definitely somewhere between the two, Oishi gave up. "But what about the rest of the fish?"

Grinning, Momoshiro bounded up to the fire and picked up the last four fish. He devoured them all in a few large bites and grinned proudly. "Problem solved."

x-X-x

Peering into the sunlit forest clearing, Fuji scanned it carefully. There was no one in sight. On the other hand he could sense a certain, unnatural stillness in the air that was most certainly not natural. Smiling to himself, he stepped boldly out into the light.

There was a twang and a hiss and he stepped aside just as an arrow embedded itself in the trunk of the tree that had been behind him. The feathers at the end of its shaft quivered from the impact. Turning, he looked straight up into the lower boughs of a particularly leafy pine. He couldn't see them, but he could sense their presence clearly.

_The day is too beautiful for this. _Chuckling a little at his whimsical thought, he straightened his shoulders and reached inside for his magic, letting it flow to his fingertips and along his skin until his entire being was tingling with a tightly controlled readiness to act. There had been a time once when he had thought that beautiful days meant one could frolic away and expect good things to happen, but that had been a long time ago. It had been, after all, a beautiful day when they had burned, but it hadn't changed a thing. To such things as the weather, the world, and time, humans were too insignificant—their lives too short and the affects they could mark the fabric of existence with too small to be of any meaning.

"There is no point in hiding," he called out, giving the trees one of his most serene smiles. "Besides, I did not come here to fight, unless that's what you really want to do, in which case I have no objections either. However, I really only have a few questions to ask."

He was greeted with by a long moment of silence.

Standing behind the shielding stand of trees with his partner perched in the branches above, bow and second arrow in position, Masaharu squinted out at the stranger with the harmless aura who had dodged a flying arrow as though it was a falling feather. The air around him was colorless at the moment, indicating a great level of self control, but for just a brief moment after the arrow was shot he thought he had caught a glimpse of a spark. If his memory was accurate, and it usually was, then the spark had been blue.

Tilting his head back and hissing to catch Hiroshi's attention, he mouthed 'mage'. The archer inclined his head in acknowledgement, then gestured slightly with his bow, one eyebrow rising. Masaharu glanced back at the sorcerer again, brows furrowed, then gave his head a little shake. The blue had been bright and too bright to have been tainted.

'Cover me' he mouthed and stepped out into the clearing without waiting for an answer. He knew that Hiroshi had extraordinary aim and could at least distract the stranger long enough for him to make an escape no matter how fast the sorcerer was.

Staring directly into the stranger's face, he let a smirk play across his lips. It was more from habit than any real sense of amusement but it calmed his nerves. Besides, how people reacted to such expressions directed their way told a lot about them.

"So what'd you want?" he asked, sitting back on his heels and affecting a casual air.

"Are you looking for something out here?"

Frowning slightly, Niou ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. "That would depend on who you are, _Sorcerer_."

To his surprise, the stranger chuckled. "I am not a member of the Elite."

"I know that."

Pausing, the sorcerer tilted his head to one side, pondering. "Really? Interesting… You must be a seer then. Not he usual kind though…"

Masaharu started, taking an involuntary step back. "How—"

"You keep looking at the air around me, and you knew I was a magic wielder. Are you looking at my aura?"

Masaharu opened his mouth, then closed it again, a slow grin spreading across his face. "You're pretty sharp, aren't you? As a matter of fact, I _am_ looking at your aura, though you seem to have yours pretty well hidden. How about a trade? My name for yours."

He was rewarded with a widened smile. "That sounds fair."

"All right then." Stepping carefully forward, he offered his hand. "Masaharu Niou."

"You may call me Fuji." The sorcerer accepted it and they shook hands.

Niou nodded. "Fuji huh? So what are you doing out here, or were you just following us?"

"Mostly following. And you?"

"Business."

The brunette tapped his chin thoughtfully. "This business whoudln't happen to have anything to do with a lot of, ah, magically gifted behind a shield, would it?"

The gray haired seer tensed abruptly, his eyes narrowing. "Not necessarily. We're simply here to…meet someone."

"Ah yes, meet someone," Fuji mused. "We're all here to meet someone, aren't we?"

"I don't know. Are we?"

They looked at each other for a long moment before they both laughed.

"Well, then I shall leave you to your business." Turning away, Fuji gave a leisurely wave back over his shoulder. "I wouldn't want to make you late for your—appointment."

"That's very thoughtful of you," Niou agreed. "Farewell then, Sorcerer Fuji. I'll say though, it may be best if you went to _meet_ your people elsewhere."

"Hmm…I'll keep that in mind."

X

"You said quite a lot to him," Hiroshi commented, slinging his bow back over his shoulder.

Masaharu shrugged, a small grin tugging at his lips. "He was…interesting.

"I don't like it when you can't see someone's eyes. No one who has nothing to hides needs to keep his eyes hidden."

His companion's eyebrows rose. "Is that so? Am I not supposed to trust you then?"

Hiroshi's frown deepened. "My glasses do not count. So why was he following us?" he added quickly.

Folding his arms behind his head, Masaharu looked up towards the swaying canopy of leaves above. "Curiosity, I think."

The archer shot him a look. "That can't be it."

His mouth twitched. "You'd be surprised. Curiosity is a powerful force. But no, I think he has other reasons."

"And that would be?"

"Think about it. Our destination isn't exactly a sorcerer friendly place, and yet he followed us towards it though he knows of its existence. He is not one of the Elite. What reason would a mage of any kind who does not appear to harbor any desires for the title of Elite have for wanting to know more about anyone headed in the direction of a magic wielders' prison camp?"

His companion nodded slowly. "I see."

"Indeed. I wish him luck. It'd mean we wouldn't have to come here so often."

* * *

**TBC**

**Notes**:

Auras: more later

- Green Neutral/ungifted

- Blue Magic Wielder

**A.N**. Okay, so again, not the most active part in the world, but I actually really enjoyed wiring this part for some reason so I hope you guys liked it. I'll be leaving the country in a few days and might not have access to a computer for a few weeks so yeah… See ya!


	14. Chapter 13

A.N. I'm back! And boy is it good to be home

Disclaimer: The usual

* * *

Chapter 13

"They didn't notice you, Tezuka." Turning, Fuji watched with a small smile as his companion emerged from the trees. "Looks like your aura's hidden even better than mine, hmm?"

"We should be returning to the others," Tezuka replied, ignoring the question. It didn't sound like the kind of question that was meant to be answered anyway. "It was highly irresponsible of you to go chasing after dangerous strangers at a time like this."

Fuji raised an eyebrow in puzzlement. "A time like what?"

Tezuka's brows furrowed slightly, then he turned and started walking away. Laughing to himself, the brunette followed. The world certainly was filled with so many different types of people. Somehow the thought made him feel lighter inside.

x-X-x

Eiji wasn't entirely sure what he had been expecting to find at the end of his day long march with the prison camp. Jail had been somewhere at the top of his list though, and he had been imaging some tall, hulking monstrosity of a building with tiny, barred windows and maybe a gargoyle or two, so he was somewhere between surprised and disappointed—he'd never seen a real, Empire prison house before and hearing the stories just wasn't the same—when their destination finally came into view. Instead of one, massive structure there were several, and all of them were low, one story affairs of a light, yellowish orange, sandstone color. The few windows he could see were indeed small, but none of them were barred. There weren't any gargoyles either. Guards were hurrying through the streets, all of them with concentrated looks on their faces like they had extremely urgent jobs to attend to. And over it all, circling high in the pale sky overhead, was a huge flock of crows.

Their rough, cawing cries rang through the air, covering all other sounds in a blanket of glossy black feathers and sharp, cruel beaks. The combined rasping of their voices sent a cold shiver down the Speaker's back. There were no words in the cries.

Eyes fixed on the cloud of black, winged shapes, Eiji didn't notice that the rest of his traveling companions had started moving again until a guard prodded him painfully in the back. Yelping, he shot the man a fierce glare—it was the same man he'd stolen the bow from—then hurried after the other prisoners. Something in his chest was telling him that it was better not to be alone in this place.

The prisoners were marched into the strangely quiet settlement and herded into groups of about three or four. That done they seemed suddenly at a loss, their faces nervous as their eyes jumped from side to side as though expecting the ground to explode beneath their feet at any moment. Only the close eyed man appeared to be calm as he leaned against the side of a nearby building, arms crossed loosely before him.

Then, timed just right to make the guards jump, a single crow detached itself from the flock overhead and swooped down towards the prisoners. Eiji squinted at it, catching a brief flash of red in its eyes. Then it was circling directly over him, Kamio, and Shinji, its hoarse cries starkly sharp in the sudden silence that had fallen over its fellows above.

"What in the world—" Kamio started, but he was cut off as the six guards nearest the three grabbed them roughly by the arms and started to haul them down a side street.

"Get your filthy hands off me!" Kamio snapped, jerking ineffectively at his guards. The men only held on tighter though, quickening their steps.

"Where are we going nyah?" Eiji asked, raising his voice above his fellow redhead's angry protests. The guard to his left jumped slightly then glared at him.

"You're going to see the lieutenant," he snapped. "And I suggest you be quiet when you do."

"Why? Is he very mean?"

The guard ignored him.

_These people are all too uptight_, Eiji mused. _No wonder they all look a little ill._

Instead of leading them to a large and impressive building, the guards guided them to the edge of a small, hexagonal courtyard. Scanning the cobbled expanse, Eiji's keen eyes fixed on the figure of a man standing in its center with his back to them. He wasn't particularly tall or intimidating, or at least he wasn't as far as Eiji could tell from where he was standing, but he was wearing an army uniform with a rather shiny badge on the shoulder so he had to be the lieutenant.

A sharp cry from above announced the presence of the crow that had apparently singled Eiji and his companions out earlier. It circled once then landed on the lieutenant's shoulder and the man turned. Eiji started.

_'He can't be any older than me nyah!'_ was the first thought that flashed through his mind. The second was the startled, and oddly chilling realization, that the youth's eyes were red like those of the crow on his shoulder.

"Bring them over here," he barked. The guards scrambled to obey him, pulling Eiji, Kamio, and Shinji farther into the square until they were lined up before the red-eyed lieutenant. Eiji couldn't take his eyes away from those two pairs of crimson orbs. Where the crow's alone had felt oddly empty, together the crow and the man felt…the same.

"You!"

Kamio's sudden, outraged cry made Eiji jump. Surprised, he turned to the other redhead. "Do you know him?"

Kamio wasn't listening though. His face had become contorted with both shock and fury. "You're the one who attacked us!"

Apparently unfazed, the lieutenant only smirked. "I thought there was something familiar about your face. Took me a while to be sure though. It is so hard to remember the weak. There's so many of them after all."

"You bastard!"

"You should be honored," the lieutenant sneered, a twisted grin spreading across his face. "I don't go fetch many prisoners personally."

Snarling, Kamio made a lunge for the man, but the guards to either side of him seized his arms and one of them kicked the back of his knees, forcing him onto the ground.

Dismissing him with another rsneer, the lieutenant glanced at Shinji, who had been silent since entering the settlement and who was now staring coldly at him, before his eyes settled on Eiji.

"My messengers tell me you were spying on my prisoners," he remarked, examining the Speaker with hard, sharp eyes. "Who sent you?"

Eiji cocked his head to one side. "The crow told you? But he hasn't said anything…"

The lieutenant scowled. "_Who sent you?_"

"Huh?" Eiji blinked. "Sent? What are you talking about nyah?"

Face growing darker by the second, the lieutenant stalked forward until he was standing directly in front of the Speaker.

"I'll just ask one more time. _Who sent you_?"

"Oh, you meant me! No one sent me! I was just—" He was cut off abruptly as his vision flashed black and red and he stumbled back into his guards. His ears were ringing and he realized with a sort of dazed surprise that he could taste blood.

"Take them to the west prison," the lieutenant's harsh voice was ordering somewhere in the background.

_He hit me_, Eiji thought, fighting to blink the spots from his eyes as the guards began to move again. And I didn't even do anything! _No wonder these guys are all so afraid of him… But those crows…_

x-X-x

"Hey! Ryoma!" Momo called out as he hurried to catch up to his small friend. "Do you actually know where you're going?"

The sorcerer gave him a look then snorted. "Of course."

"So um…where was that then?"

"The masked signals."

"Oh…"

They continued in silence for another minute or two before the swordsman opened his mouth again.

"So you think there're magic wielders behind that—uh—shield thing, right?"

"Ah."

"Which means someone has to be hiding them."

"So?"

Momoshiro frowned slightly. "Well, haven't you thought that we might be walking right into a trap? Or least into so Empire cronies? After all, they're the only ones who could be behind this, aren't they?"

"Maybe."

He let out an exasperated breath. "Fine, fine, never mind then."

Ryoma glanced briefly at him. "You're not scared, are you?"

"No! Mo, of course not!" Momo laughed. "What gave you that idea?"

Ryoma just shook his head. It was true that it could be a trap, but it could also be some of the renegade mages the Sorcerien were looking for.

"Um, you guys," Oishi called from his place at the very rear of their procession. "Are you sure we should have left the horses back there?"

"It will be easier for Tezuka and Fuji to catch up to us if we leave them the horses," Inui replied. "There is of course the chance that someone else will find them first. However, I believe the chances of that happening are slim."

"But they'll need water…"

"Fshuu."

Inui hoisted his pack a little higher on his shoulder. "I believe Kaidoh has already seen to that."

"Oh, that's good." Breathing in deeply, the healer ordered himself not to keep looking back over his shoulder. It wasn't as though he would be able to see their missing companions if he looked a little more often. Still…it didn't feel right to be walking away, not when they knew that Eiji at least was a prisoner.

_"Never turn your back on a friend who needs your help,"_ his father had said to him once. _"Even if you never need their help in return, you will know that you have done something good to pay back for all the bad things we humans have done over the centuries. There are too many people in this world who fend only for themselves already, but that certainly hasn't made anything better."_

Recalling the way the older man's kind face had been filled with both solemnity and a sort of deep sadness when he spoke of such things sent a twinge of pain through Oishi's chest. As a healer he had made it his life's work to help others, but nowadays he seemed to be constantly turning to those around him for aid. First it had been for his parents, because he didn't have the power to either free them or get the Elite what they wanted, then he had been caught and had to be rescued himself. Now Eiji was a prisoner again, Tezuka was who-knew-where, and he could only trail after Sadaharu and the Sorcerien messengers.

He glanced up into the wavering green canopy overhead and smiled ruefully. _What's the use of a healer when you don't even have enough warriors to win the battle?_

His stomach growled.

"Hey." Up ahead, Momoshiro stopped abruptly. "Did you guys hear that?"

"Oh, sorry," the healer said quickly, flushing dark red. "I—I guess I'm still a little hungry—"

"No, not that." The swordsman turned in a slow circle, eyes scanning their surroundings. "I was talking about that shriek—it sounded like someone was in pain."

"Fshuu, you're imagining things."

"I am not! There—you see, there it is again!"

Ryoma tilted his head slightly, brows furrowed. "I don't hear anything."

Kaidoh snorted. "That's because—"

"I heard it too."

The snake eyed speaker blinked, turning to Inui. The Observer was staring off towards their left, a look of intense concentration etched onto his face. Then a high, piercing scream rent the air and they all jumped. Startled eyes turned to each other. There was no doubt now.

"It's this way," Inui said firmly, heading off into the trees.

X

When the forest thinned, all of them tensed, not entirely sure what to expect though most of them believing they would find someone being attacked by either bandits or soldiers. What they didn't expect to see was the massive, gray form of a four story mansion squatting at the bottom of a gentle, grassy slope. It was an old building, its paint long since weathered away and the many glass windows cracked and frosted with dust. The late evening sunlight played over these windows, turning them into luminous fragments of blue tinted gray, but though the effect might once have been pretty now it only seemed to emphasize that the place was clearly abandoned.

Momoshiro swallowed. The shrieking had stopped a minute ago and the air here was deathly still. "Is it…there?"

Adjusting his glasses, Inui nodded. "My calculations indicate that those sounds most certainly emanated from this house."

"Then let's go," Oishi said anxiously, starting down the slope. Those screams had been made by someone in great pain. His jaw muscles tightened and he quickened his steps.

Shrugging, Ryoma followed the healer down the hill followed closely by Inui. Watching them go, Momo cursed himself for mentioning the voice when he'd been the only one to hear it. If he'd only kept his mouth shut…

"Fshuu, coward."

Bristling, he rounded on Kaidoh. "I don't see you running in after them!"

"I wasn't the one who wanted to come fshuu."

"Well—I didn't say I wanted to come either!"

"Excuses," the Speaker snorted in disgust.

"Why you—"

"Are you two coming or not?" Inui's voice floated up to them from the bottom of the hill and they both saw his glasses flash as he looked up at them. "If not, you can keep watch outside."

They stared down at him for a moment then traded looks. A moment later they were both sprinting down the hill.

x-X-x

"It looks like they've already left," Fuji remarked, looking over the deserted camp. The ashes of the fire had been scattered, but the stones used to wall it in were still there.

"I told them not to wait for us," Tezuka said shortly.

"They listened then," the brunette chuckled. A soft whicker from the trees drew both their attention to where two large shapes were emerging into the clearing, long tails swishing over the grass. Eyes opening briefly in surprise, Fuji moved to meet them.

"Triad! Finiko! Did they just left you here to fend for yourselves?" he asked, surprised. Triad tilted his head to one side then dipped his muzzle to a makeshift wooden tub of water at his feet. Fuji smiled knowingly. "Kaidoh, I assume. I wonder where he got such a short log. Do you know which way they went?"

The horses looked at each other, then turned in unison to a particular point in the surrounding trees. They snorted, ears twitching.

The sorcerer laughed. "Good. I guess we can follow them once we've cleaned up then."

"You know," he added conversationally to Tezuka as he busied himself with hiding the evidence of their camp. "Sometimes I have to say they're so much smarter than we humans are."

Tezuka glanced at him skeptically. "The horses?"

Fuji shrugged. "Horses, birds, animals in general."

"…Why?"

"Well, just look, haven't you ever noticed how a lot of them seem to understand what we're saying, but we never understand what they're saying? Those of us that aren't Speakers anyway. But it does make one wonder…"

"Hn…" Tezuka couldn't really see what there was to wonder about—the matter hardly seemed relevant after all. There were a lot of things in the world that could not be explained or understood, and while they could be interesting at times it was what the actions that resulted and what could be done in response that mattered. "We should wait until tomorrow. It's too dark for us to get far if we leave now."

"Besides," Fuji continued as though he hadn't heard, "any creature who knows not to make life as complicated as ours must know something we don't. Should I go get firewood then?"

Taken momentarily aback by the sudden shift in topic, Tezuka nodded. "I'll go see if there is anything we can eat."

* * *

TBC 

A.N: Hmm, the next chapter might get a little freaky if it keeps going the way I have in mind. Anyways, I should be able to get the next part up soon. Comments, suggestions, etc, all welcome.


	15. Chapter 14

**A.N**. Well, this part turned out longer than I thought it would be, so it's going to be in more than just one chapter. It also turned out to be rather less freaky than I thought it would be. Good or bad thing, you decide. Hope you guys enjoy it!

Disclaimer: POT characters not mine

* * *

Chapter 14

Eiji had always considered himself a rather easygoing sort of person. It had always been a motto of his to relax after all, seeing as being all tense generally only led to huge headaches and other such uncomfortable things. But even so, it was hard for him not to feel distinctly disturbed by the fact that he was now locked inside a dark cell and had been for what now felt like forever with no fresh air whatsoever and bound hands to boot. It wasn't the kind of thing one could blow off after a bit of loud complaining.

On the plus side, he had company. Or at least he felt it was a plus. From what he could catch of Shinji's mumbling the dark haired youth strongly believed they should have been given a bigger cell because being cramped in this little thing was anything but hospitable and seriously, it was bound to start smelling too if the guards never let them out. But of course, he had continued at length, they couldn't never let them out because they were prisoners and prisoners had to be kept alive and that had to include not suffocating them.

"They don't care if we suffocate."

Eiji jumped, Shinji stopped talking, and Kamio yelped as he leapt to his feet, turning to face the dark pile of rags he had been sitting next to. Only the pile was sitting up and he realized with a start that it was actually a boy. His clothes were tattered and his skin smeared with dirt so that he all but blended into the surrounding walls.

"All they care about is that as we're here and our powers are warded," the stranger continued, apparently unaware of the shock his new cellmates were in. "The worse it is, the easier it is for them to convince people to submit to and become one of the Elite."

Intrigued, Eiji leaned forward, blue eyes wide. "Is that scary lieutenant person one of the Elite then?"

Suddenly the boy seemed to shrink in on himself, becoming even more ragged looking than he had already. His eyes were wide and he stared pst Eiji as though he could look straight through the wall. Finally he sighed and looked away from them.

"He…yes, he's one of them."

"Hey, wait," Kamio said abruptly, waving his hands as though to ward off insects—though on second thought it was entirely possible that that was exactly what he was doing. "Are we supposed to just believe him? How do we know he's not just one of _them_ in disguise?"

"What?" The boy drew himself up indignantly. "No—why would I do that?"

The redhead frowned. "I…I don't know—but then why the hesitation? It sounds to me like there's something you're not telling us."

"The Elite would want to hide as much as possible," Shinji murmured in agreement. "Though I suppose since we're trapped here and everything they wouldn't really have a reason to care how much we knew. We'll probably die here eventually. It's not like we'd be able to spread the news to anyone. Maybe they would want us to know more so they could gloat over how little we could do. Yes, that does sound like a tactic such people might use…"

Pulling himself out of the whirling thoughts pouring from his cellmate's mouth, Eiji leaned back against the damp wall behind him. "I've been wondering about the crows around here. It's strange…none of them are saying anything and their eyes are all funny. Do you know anything about that nyah?"

The boy was now twiddling his fingers together. "They're his eyes and ears, or at least that's what most people think they are."

"Think they are?" Kamio repeated, frowning. "What do you mean by 'think' they are?"

"So you mean he's controlling their minds?" Eiji wondered. "Some sorcerers can do that, right?"

"Some." Kamio's frown deepened. "But that kind of power can only affect one, maybe two creatures at a time. I mean, it's still one mind, and making a sentient being do something it might not want to isn't easy. And besides, people or animals being controlled that way don't have their eyes change color. They just look blank."

"I have heard of such magic before, but I thought it was just a rumor."

"You've heard about it?" Eiji asked, turning to where Shinji was sitting with his back against the cell wall. The expression on the sorcerer's face was speculative but something about the way his eyebrows were coming together gave Eiji the distinct impression that he was displeased about something. But Shinji had closed his mouth and actually appeared to be intent on not saying anything. Giving up, Eiji turned back to the boy.

"So…how long have you been here?"

The boy blinked, then shrugged. "I don't know…a long time, I think. They just tossed me in here and kind of forgot about me. My—my parents probably think I'm dead by now if—if they haven't been…" His voice cracked and something bright sparked in the air to vanish into the packed, dirt floor.

"Oh, uh…sorry," Eiji said a bit awkwardly. It was his turn to look down at the ground, wishing he had the luxury of twiddling his own thumbs. Words like that never felt right in his mouth. There was just something about them…and the reasons they were spoken—how could he have the right to utter flimsy condolences when he knew perfectly well that he didn't understand the feelings he was trying to soothe?

He'd never known his own parents, and the only human friend he'd had for a long period of time was Fuji, so he'd never really lost anyone before. There had been animals he had loved who had passed on since he had met them, but it had always been something natural. In the animal world life was something that was taken by the moment, so when there was death it never seemed as stark as humans made it out to be. It was always natural, and the lives lived before full in their simplicity so that there were no reasons to regret.

"_Life is far more important than death,"_ a wild tabby had once told him in that slow, purring, all-knowing way cats tended to speak. _"You humans cannot understand that because you think too much about the future, worrying and wishing. It isn't a fault,"_ it had added as an afterthought when it had seen the indignant, confused expression on his face. _"It is simply…a difference, a human thing, persay."_

Chewing his bottom lip, Eiji pulled his attention back to the present. The boy was speaking again.

"I—I don't mind, that they don't remember I'm here," the boy was saying, his voice firm if a little strained. "It means I probably won't be taken away."

Kamio looked at him blankly. "Taken away? To where?"

"Just," the boy paused and shook his head, "just away. It happens every month. Someone gets taken away and they never come back. It's always the lieutenant himself taking them, so we think…well…"

"Go on."

"This was back when there were other people in here with me, but, well, when of them had a touch of the seer's gift, and she had the visions… She kept seeing this old house in her dreams. Sometimes she even saw the prisoners being sent inside. But mostly she had these nightmares…we always knew when she had them because she would start screaming in her sleep and thrashing—a few times, when it got really bad, she would claw at her face, like she was trying to take out her own eyes…" He shuddered. "She could never really describe them afterward, not that we tried too hard to get her to, but we were pretty sure it meant they were dead."

x-X-x

The mansion doors had been carved of heavy wood and they creaked loudly Momoshiro and Inui threw their shoulders into them. The moment they were open a breath of chilled air billowed out to engulf them with the musty odor of abandonment and decay. Drawing back involuntarily from the unpleasant smell, the group traded glances before stepped boldly over the threshold. Hesitating just inside, he glanced out at the sky where the stars seemed to have miraculously disappeared.

_I didn't think it was that cloudy._

Giving his head a quick shake, he raised his hand and murmured a command. A ball of pure, white light gathered in his palm. No one behind him complained or even mentioned the fact that he might be attracting the Elite with his spell.

Momo whistled softly as the light from Ryoma's spell illuminated vast stretches of chipped, marble floors and the feet of two massive, spiral staircases. Beyond them loomed the high, arching mouths of dark hallways and above them there was nothing but darkness.

"This place is huge," he whispered in awe. Yet despite the low volume of his voice his words echoed back to them over and over like ghostly rasps, sending a shiver down his back.

"The screaming stopped," Oishi murmured, subconsciously edging closer to his companions. "How are we supposed to find the person?"

"We will simply have to search," Inui replied, his glasses glowing softly with reflected light. "However, the chances of us finidng the person while all traveling together are slim. It would be more efficient to search separately."

"Are you crazy?" Momo yelped. "I'm not walking around alone in here!"

"Fsshuuu, scared?"

Momo scowled, drawing himself up. "Of course not. I just—we could get lost searching separately. And anyways, Ryoma's the only one with a light."

Ryoma inclined his head in agreement. "For once, he has a point."

"You see. I—Ryoma! What do you mean _for once_?"

"I have a lantern." Slinging his pack off of his shoulder, Inui rummaged around inside it for a minute before coming u[p with a small, glass lantern. Opening a green bottle he had pulled out with it, he poured some oil inside. "This should last about four hours at most. Echizen, if you would?"

Ryoma nodded, reaching over and murmuring quietly. An instant later the oil ignited.

"We can search in two groups then," Oishi decided, his stomach doing an odd little twist which he did his best to ignore. "We can meet back here in three and a half hours."

x-X-x

The horses were restless. The night was fully dark now and the campfire burning low. The soft noises of the night filled the air and everything seemed, for all intents and purposes, as a peaceful night should. And yet… There was a stillness in the air that lay deeper than the sounds. But the humans seemed utterly oblivious. The dark haired one was sitting with his back to a tree, his eyes closed and his breathing the steady rhythm of one asleep. The other was feeding the fire as he took the first watch.

The horses traded glances, ears flicking. One of them turned and took the few steps closer to the fire, reaching over to bury his nose in honey colored hair.

Fuji let out a surprised chuckle, turning around. "Triad." Smiling he reached up and ran a hand along the horse's elegant neck. Triad in turn snorted and stamped the ground.

Sighing, Fuji combed his fingers through the chestnut's main. He could feel the tension and unease in the horses.

"We'll be leaving as soon as it's bright enough," he promised. "We won't have to do much more to hide this camp so it should be a quick start."

x-X-x

Kaidoh was starting to feel a more than a little uncomfortable. He, Inui, and Oishi were on the second floor and the halls through which they were now moving had become much narrower. The air was filled with dust and the now wooden floors were barely covered with thin, raggedy carpets. He could barely see the light of Inui's lantern through the gloom and Oishi was literally blending in to the background in his gray, healer's cloak.

Something bumped against his leg and he jumped, emitting a startled hiss. But a moment later his ears caught the soft mewing of a cat. Surprised, he looked down to find a small, gray cat rubbing itself against his legs. Breathing out a sigh of relief, he knelt and gently scooped the animal up. The poor creature had probably wandered into the mansion in search of food.

It mewed again as he cradled it against him, and he stroked its head. Something didn't feel quite right though… Turning around in a slow circle, he scanned the surrounding hall. Nothing. The others must have gone on ahead.

Continuing his trek down the hall he did his best to ignore the way the floorboards groaned beneath his feet. He couldn't hear the others. His steps quickened gradually of their own accord until he was all but running, the cat pressed securely against his chest. Rounding a sharp corner he halted.

There before him was a dead end with a single door.

"I—Inui?" he called out nervously. "Oisih?"

There was no answer.

Moving forward on hesitant feet, he pushed open the door. He was greeted with a spill of silvery moonlight over wide, white tiles marred with spidery black cracks. A large, marble tub sat on bowed legs on the far side and to his right stood an elegant stone sink filled with clear water glittered invitingly. There were no signs of his companions, but neither was there any sign of anything…else.

Drawing in a deep breath, he let the cat down onto the tiled floor and moved to the sink. He stared into the basin. The water looked clean enough. Cupping his hands, he filled them with the cool liquid and splashed it over his face. The shock felt good and he could feel his shoulders relaxing.

Then he looked up into the cracked mirror and his lungs stopped working.

The cat was sitting on the edge of the tub, its reflection just barely visible in the mirror, but one thing was painfully obvious. But that…wasn't possible…

He turned around slowly.

There was the cat, sitting as it had been in the mirror, its head turned towards him. The problem was that it had no eyes.

For a moment he just stood there, his back pressed against the sink, his muscles frozen solid. Then, with a strangled cry, he spun on his heels and bolted, crash through the door without a second thought. He didn't know if it was following him and he didn't want to heck. He felt as though his muscles were going numb and when they did he wanted to be as far away from that room as possible.

X

"Syuichiroh."

Oishi blinked, looking up from the ground. The murky atmosphere was really starting to get to him. There was something oppressive about it all and he was starting to feel like he couldn't breathe.

"Have you seen Kaidoh?" the Observer asked, but Oishi didn't really seem to be looking at him. "Syuichiroh? Are you all right?"

The healer let out a sort of groan. His face was deathly pale.

"Maybe you should sit d—Syuichiroh!" His free hand shot out and caught Oishi's shoulder, but the healer slumped slowly to the floor anyway. Alarmed, Inui set his lantern on the floor and knelt next to his friend. There was a faint pulse, but Oishi wasn't responding to his calls or light shaking at all.

He sat back on his heels, his hand going reflexively to make sure his glasses were still securely in place. This was not good, no, not good at all.

X

"Ryoma, we've been on his floor four two hours, don't you think we should be heading downstairs? We still have another floor to check."

"We're not done up here yet."

"I know but—"

"What was that?"

Momo shifted uneasily. "What? I didn't—"

"Be quiet and listen."

Closing his mouth, Momo flexed his fingers reflexively. What he wouldn't give for a nice, simple, straight forward battle right about now.

A soft sound somewhere between a sniffle and a gasp drifted through the air. The hair on the back of his head rose and he turned slowly. There was nothing but darkness. And yet he could have sworn for a moment there that he had seen the glint of eyes.

"This way," Ryoma said abruptly, turning down a side corridor.

Pulling himself away from the watching darkness, Momo hurried reluctantly after the young sorcerer. He was seriously starting to regret having mentioned the scream when he first heard it. It was just him and his big mouth.

This new corridor had just as many doors lining it as all the others, but there was one unmistakable difference. One door near the far end on the right was slightly ajar and the faint glow of a lantern was spilling out from behind it.

"Maybe it's the others?" Momo suggested hopefully.

Ryoma shook his head. "They're checking the first two floors."

Cautiously, the two edged forward. There was definitely the sound of soft crying coming out from inside the room. Trading glances, Momo drew his sword slowly and the air around Ryoma's free hand began to crackle. Then they stepped forward together and Momo kicked the door the rest of the way open, leaping inside.

The room was empty as all the others had been but for a small figure huddled against the far wall. A lantern sat in the corner, clearly illuminating straight, brown hair that had been streaked with something darker.

_Blood_, Momo thought, his blade lowering slightly as he moved farther into the room. _But who—_

The figure looked up. It was a girl—and she didn't look at all pleased to see them.

"Excuse me—," he started, but he never got to finish.

"Get away from me!" she shrieked, pressing back against the wall and staring at him with wide, wild eyes. Her face was ghostly pale beneath black streaks of blood.

Ryoma stepped up beside him. "We're just—"

"No!" Surging to her feet, the girl seized the lantern and hurled it at them.

Letting out a startled curse Momo ducked as Ryoma flung up his hands. The lantern smashed against an invisible barrier to shower to the floor in glittering pieces and a shower of sparks. A moment later the dry, wood floor was ablaze. The girl froze, her eyes wide and filled with the ghosts of reflected flames. Then, slowly, her eyes lifted to stare first at Ryoma, then Momo, then past them into the darkened hall beyond.

"We have to get out of here—"

Ryoma stiffened suddenly, spinning around where he stood. "Momo!"

Momo, about to leap over the flames to fetch the frozen girl, jumped, performing an awkward sort of pirouette in midair and almost fell backwards into the fire. Ryoma rarely ever shouted. But all he found as he struggled to regain his balance was an empty doorway and the deserted hall beyond.

He frowned. "Ryoma, what—"

Something rammed into him and he let out a started cry as his back connected with the far wall. All the air was forced out of his lungs and he opened his eyes wide, struggling to push the culprit away. But all he could see was the rising flames and Ryoma standing frozen near the door. Yet he could feel it clearly—the sensation of being crushed into the wall as his constricting windpipe fought to continue sending oxygen to the rest of his body. Black spots were beginning to explode in his vision and he couldn't make a sound. He couldn't even twitch the ends of his fingers.

_Ryoma!_ The name echoed through his head, bouncing off of the inside of his skull until it became a chorus of a million cries, but despite his struggles he couldn't seem to force the word past his lips. Despair swept over him then, grasping at his lungs like the gradually increasing pressure that threatened him make him a part of the wall. It chilled him to the bone and he wondered belately why he had never realized that he might die one day. It was such a foreign thing for one so young, but it wasn't really all that far away anymore. If he'd known, well…if he'd known…he would…he would have………

x-X-x

"The _Andimerrian Trilanus_."

Three heads turned in unison to stare in Shinji's direction, their faces ranging through various degrees of confusion. "What was that?"

"The _Andimerrian Trilanus_," he repeated, his eyes suddenly sharp in the dim light of the cell. "It is an old brand of magic believed to have been discovered by the Ancients."

Eiji looked questioningly at Kamio, but the other redhead shrugged. "I've never heard of it."

"There is power in sacrifice. The greater the sacrifice, the greater the power. Have you heard of demons?"

Eiji blinked. "Demons? You mean the scary monster things in stories and stuff?"

Shinji sniffed dismissively. "Of course not. Those are not demons, they are figments of imagination. Demons are the entities formed when certain similar energies such as those released by acts such as killing or strong emotions such as rage and hatred coalesce over hundreds and hundreds of years, gaining an awareness and power as their strength increases. Not many of them ever become strong enough to affect more than the emotions of people who come too near them, but those who do can become extremely dangerous."

"What does this have to do with us?" Kamio asked, shifting restlessly.

Shinji let out a short, almost irritated breath. Most people had no patience.

"The _Andimerrian Trilanus_ is the pact between a sorcerer and one of these demonic entities. The sorcerer chooses when the pact is made the type of sacrifice he or she is willing to offer the demon in return for power. If the offer is accepted the mind of the sorcerer is linked with the entity's awareness and the sorcerer is granted abilities that could not otherwise have been acquired."

"So…" Eiji said slowly, his head starting to feel a bit overwhelmed, "you mean…like with the crows?"

Shinji nodded solemnly.

"And…you think the lieutenant is sacrificing prisoners to it?"

The sorcerer shrugged. "It is simply a theory."

* * *

**TBC**

**A.N**. Like I said, not creepy, hope no one's disappointed… Ah well, I'm rather busy right now but I'll try to get the next part up as soon as possible.


	16. Chapter 15

**A.N**. Sorry this took so long. I've had a lot of work to do lately and it looks like it's only going to get worse from here. Ah well. Anyhow, here's what was supposed to be part of the previous chapter but didn't make it there. Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: POT Characters not mine, world and other related things are.

* * *

Chapter 15

The room was a small one adorned with little more than a ratty rug and a chest of drawers that had had all the paint stripped from it by time. Some of the wooden boards revealed by the loss of coating appeared to have been gouged at by some animal's claws, but Inui didn't have time to ponder the markings. He had dragged Oishi into the room and out of the corridor from an instinctual sense that it would be better not to be out in the more open spaces with his friend in this condition. The healer had yet to regain consciousness and his breathing was quick and shallow. He honestly looked ill but when Inui checked his temperature everything appeared to be normal.

Frowning, he paced restlessly from one end of the room o the other and back again. It was a very limited space though and with his long legs it didn't take him long to cross in either direction and he eventually had to stop for fear of making himself dizzy.

Turning, he stared down into his companion's milk white face. Oishi's eyes were sealed tightly shut and a slight crease had appeared between his eyebrows. He had also acquired an alarming sheen of cold sweat.

What was the cause? The Observer chewed thoughtfully on his lower lip. He had never heard of healers keeling over for no apparent reason when they had been perfectly fine only moments before. If anything healers tended to live long and healthy lives if they didn't make too many trips onto the battlefield. Their innate powers saw to that, keeping most diseases at bay and allowing them to recover from injuries and sickness much faster than would any other living creature.

But even if he couldn't think of one off the top of his head there still had to be a reason for this…

The only logical conclusion was that it was something in this house.

Striding to the door he peered out into the halls in a vain hope that he would see Kaidoh coming down it. He didn't. A small sigh escaped his lips and he pulled back into the room. He had to find the others and get Oishi out of there… It was a big house.

He hesitated for a moment, his fingers hovering near the bridge of his nose, then he gripped one arm of his glasses between right forefinger and thumb and inched it down, his mouth pressed into a decisive line. He didn't remove them completely, no, that was not necessary. He only needed to slide them down a little, just enough to peer over the top.

And there he stood in the darkened room with his glasses partially off and an unconscious companion lying near his feet for several long minutes in which nothing but the shadows seemed to stir. Then his hand jerked a little and he blinked as his glasses were jostled half accidentally back into place.

Things were apparently worse than he had first anticipated.

He hurried back to the healer's side, Pulling one limp arm over his shoulder, he hoisted the unconscious man up off of the floor and proceeded to half drag half carry him back out into the halls. Kaidoh was three corridors down to the right and one hall to the left from there.

X

For a moment Ryoma stood frozen amidst the rising flames, his ears ringing with the girl's terrified cries. He could sense it all around them—some presence heavier than the darkness and cold as the winter snow despite the steadily growing flames. He had never felt anything like it before. It had caught Momo and through the sheeting, orange and yellow tongues he could see that some invisible force had crushed his friend up against the wall, but his mind had gone oddly blank. There had to be a spell that could help—but what?

He had never learned how one was supposed to deal with something that wasn't there. Its powers were present, but he could sense no core.

Momo's eyes had rolled back and his head lolled to the side, apparently—hopefully—unconscious.

Gritting his teeth, Ryoma raised both hands and closed his eyes, murmuring under his breath the first spell that came to mind. It was neither offensive nor defensive and it was a moment before he realized that it was a call for revelation. Half surprised at himself but too trapped in the moment to think more about it he completed the spell by tracing the rune of sight in the air with his left hand. There was a flash of gold light as the rune became visible for an instant, then the image shattered, spraying sparks in all directions and making everything from the fire to the shadows and the wooden panels of the room shiver.

And it was standing in the corner to the right of the door.

It stood almost as tall as he did, or it would if it wasn't crouched low, its heavy paws splayed across the floor like pools of darkness. Its form shifted from moment to moment like the shadows that appeared to have coalesced to form it but it still gave him the impression of being wolf like. No flames licked about the wood around it as though the fire itself could not bear its presence.

But there were flames—dark, crimson flames, twin stars in a starless sky set into a massive head above a set of knife-edged teeth that were the only truly solid pieces of its body. Looking into them was like gazing through a hole in space—

_Shadows, thick—suffocating. They were burning, tearing across he fields and open lands with outstretched claws and agonized shrieks. Screams resounded through smoke filled air, pleading against silver edged steel—against fate, against death. But there was no escape for all that lay in the future of any being was that same endless darkness beyond which no eyes could see. And in their despair they cried and they fought before they each succumbed to fate._

Jerking backwards and away from the overwhelming visions, the young sorcerer staggered, catching his balance just before he could fall into the midst of the grasping flames. The girl was crying now, a quiet, desperate sobbing, and Momo's unconscious form had slid to the ground to lay there in a boneless heap. His own vision swam but he could feel that something had snapped with he vision. The pressure of the thing's presence had gone, but it was gathering again even as his ears filled with a low, growling hiss.

Spinning on his heels, Ryoma leapt over the spreading flames and seized Momoshiro's collar. His hands were pale even to his own eyes but he refused to let them shake. Instead he haulted the larger youth into a sitting position.

"Momo!" he shouted directly into the swordsman's ear. "Momo, get up! We have to get out of here now!" He wasn't used to shouting and his own voice sounded foreign to his ears, but dignity suddenly seemed like a pale, useless thing with that suffocating presence growing stronger by the moment.

Momo let out a low groan, blinking dazed eyes at him. "Wha…?"

Relief flooded through the sorcerer's veins and he stood quickly, turning to the girl, partially to check on her but mostly to hide the sudden moisture in his eyes. She didn't look like she was going to be doing anything he said. He turned back to Momo who had clambered to his feet and was starting to get that panicked look reminiscent of those who remembered something bad had been happening just before he blacked out.

"Ryoma, what was—"

"It's still here," he snapped, making a beeline for the open door. "Get the girl!"

It was watching him, he could feel it. It seemed warier now. It was drawing in its strength from the rest of the mansion through which it had been spread before.

Momo stared for a moment at Ryoma's stiff back but he bit back the questions and hurried to scoop the girl off of the floor. She struggled and struck out at him but he ignored her and sprinted after his rapidly departing friend. His throat felt dry with smoke and his lungs as though he had been sleeping under a ton of rocks, but though he could see nothing alarming other than the fire his pounding heart was telling him his eyes were not to be trusted.

X

He was lost. It was the fist coherent thought that had surfaced in his mind since he had started running and it was not a pleasant greeting. Footsteps slowing gradually, he chanced a quick glance over his shoulder. Only empty expanses of hallway met his searching gaze. His muscles relaxed slightly. He must have lost it.

Or had he? For a moment he thought he caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye. Tensing again, fighting the urge to just start running, he turned to face the direction of the disturbance. To his surprise he found himself looking at Inui. The man was walking steadily towards him with purposeful steps that suggested he knew exactly where he was going and he appeared to be supporting Oishi. Was it an illusion? But he could hear Inui's footsteps and the drag of Oishi's feet.

"Kaidoh," the Observer said as he approached, his voice brisk and not at all surprised at this sudden reunion. "We need to get down to the entrance hall. Can you please help me with Syuichiroh?"

Kaidoh stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded, but his desire to get out of the mansion had his head nodding despite his confusion and he slid the healer's other arm over his shoulder. "Fshuuu," he started, caught himself, and tried again. "What—what happened to him?"

Inui shot him a sidelong, considering look. Coming to some kind of decision he began to speak, indicating with his free hand that they should keep walking in the meantime. "The world is composed of a balance of forces, both those within and without of ourselves, those released by the actions of the living, and those that are yet to come into existence. It is the interaction between these forces that forms the world we live in."

The serpent-eyed speaker blinked up at him, brows furrowed. "But…how does that explain why Oishi is unconscious?""Simple." The Observer's voice was far too calm for the words coming out of his mouth here in the silent, breathing expanses of the mansion. It was unsettling. "There is something dwelling here in this house. Whatever entity it is embodies some kind of force that is incongruent or in direct conflict with that possessed by a healer. Normally such forces would balance each other out, but this particular entity must be extremely powerful. Add that to the fact that this is its domain and a place where it has been accepting sacrifices for years…well, simply put, the balance no longer functions as it should in this house. Thus Syuichiroh is unconscious because his own powers are trying to remedy this lapse—a healer's powers in particular is of a type that seeks to right—but he alone is unable to accomplish that great a task."

Kaidoh's footsteps had faltered at the mention of dark entities and he hadn't really heard anything after that—other than perhaps the word 'sacrifice' which didn't help his mood in the slightest. All he could think about was the creature in the bathroom. Had that been…?

"B—but what about the others?"

Inui's steps quickened. "We will meet them in the entrance hall." He did not explain how exactly he knew this but the absolute certainty of his tone was reassuring.

X

They had almost reached the top of the stairs when he felt it make its move. Casting a hurried glance over his shoulder Ryoma stumbled, caught himself, and sped up. The wolf creature was loping up the corridor behind them, growing larger and larger by the moment as its great bounds devoured the distance between them. It was far faster than any of them were.

Cursing inwardly, he skidded to a halt at the top of the stairs. Confused, Momo started to ask him what was wrong but he ignored the question. Instead he closed his eyes, bringing o mind a series of three runes. They glowed blue in the darkness behind his eyelids and he opened his eyes again, their names leaving his mouth with the crackle of freezing water. Beside him Momo's mouth fell open as a sheet of glistening ice glided down over the stairs, turning it into a smooth, translucent path.

"Whoa, why—" He cut himself off with a yelp of surprise as Ryoma gave him a hard shove from behind. He twisted as he fell to avoid landing on the girl he had been instructed to carry and he landed with a thud on the slick, freezing surface. Before he could complain about the unexpected assault he was sliding down the stairs, spinning uncontrollably as his back screamed against the biting cold.

Giving the monster one last glance Ryoma jumped onto the icy slide after his companions. His boots slipped on the ice but he fought to say upright. It wasn't until he had almost caught up to Momo that he dared look back again.

His heartbeat quickened. The thing was still running towards them but its paws touched only air. And yet it was gaining.

Raising his hands, Ryoma shouted a command and a lash of power flew from his fingers, catching the beast head on. It didn't cry out but black blood sprayed over the ice beneath it and for a moment he was sure he had gotten it. Then he realized with a shrill of bone-chilling horror that it was still coming—or at least, its head was.

* * *

**TBC**

**Notes**:

Inui's Glasses: This will be explained later but you might be able to guess most of it if you remember some things he says in earlier chapters whenever people mention his glasses. On similar notes, for anyone who's actually interested, the magic will also be explained more thoroughly later.

**A.N**: Not much on anyone outside the mansion this time, but it seemed appropriate. Anyhow, if you're still confused things should clear up some next chapter. Happy late Thanksgiving and very, very early Christmas! It's probably too early to be saying that. Thanks for reading.


	17. Chapter 16

**A.N**. Sorry again for the long wait, but here's the next chapter :) Hope you guys like it.

Disclaimer: No changes here.

* * *

Chapter 16

_It was the dead of night but he could see a light seeping out from beneath the study door. The voices that had woken him had lowered to a faint murmur but the note of urgency was still almost tangible. What was going on?_

_He moved closer, his steps quiet despite the urge to be outright. Eavesdropping wasn't something he usually indulged in, but he reasoned his parents didn't usually argue in the middle of the night either. The door opened before he reached it though and he looked up into his grandfather's weary, lined face. He didn't seem surprised to find his grandson standing in the hall._

_"Kunimitsu," he said, his voice calm but edged with a note the boy had never heard there before. It took him a moment to realize it was fear. "Come inside."_

_The study was flooded with warm light from the fire that leapt and crackled in the hearth. It filled the air with an amber radiance that softened the edges of the world until it became all but insubstantial. And yet even it could not smooth the jagged edges of unease that had cast the room's occupants in wood and stone._

_There were four of them, he noted, one more than he had expected. The extra was a man dressed in healers' grays whose face bore the unmistakable pall of weariness. There was something familiar about him that reminded Kunimitsu of hurried conversations in the corners of rooms at which times he would be appointed to watch the shop._

_The door was shut behind him as his father gestured for him to take a seat on one of the study's many, straight-backed chairs. The faint tingle of a shield being raised around the room went uncommented upon._

"_Kunimitsu," his father began, the slight hesitation in his voice foreign and uncomfortable. "This is Healer Oishi, you will be leaving Sanko with him tonight."_

_There was a long moment of silence. When it became apparent that no explanation was forthcoming Kunimitsu frowned. It wasn't like his parents to leave things half said. "Why?"_

_"Kunimitsu," his grandfather started in that stern tone that meant there had been one too many questions asked only to be cut off by the room's only female occupant._

_"He needs to know." Her tone was firm, demanding, but beneath it ran the faintest of tremors. "If—no, when—everything is done he will have to know. Now is better than later, just…in case."_

_Her husband and father in law traded glances but it was apparent o the boy watching that a consensus had already been reached. For the next hour or so he sat and listened as his parents and grandfather explained to him the existence of the Elite. He listened in silence. It wasn't that he had not known a lot of what they were saying—it was hard not to notice certain things when one has been taught since birth to hide some things and show others—but this was the fist time his parents had really elaborated on the matter. It had never really struck him until that moment just how serious the issue was. What he still didn't understand was why they were telling him now. He had however spent enough time reading the many books lining the walls of that very study to make an educated guess. And yet part of him needed to hear them say it._

_"We don't have much time." It was the first time the healer had spoken since Kunimitsu's arrival and his voice was urgent. The boy bit back his question, his mouth pressed into a grim line. "They—I was only able to get ahead because the rain made the river rise."_

_His father sighed, moving to stand in front of the hearth. He stared into it for a moment, unmoving, but the line of his shoulders was tense. Then they sagged, shocking Kunimitsu in a way he couldn't quite explain. Finally, he turned, leveling his son with a look that was somewhere between stern and weary with a touch of what seemed strangely akin to wistfulness._

_"Kunimitsu, the Elite will be here in a few minutes. We've known they'd be coming for a while now," he added, catching sight of the surprised expression that flitted across the boy's face. "We simply weren't expecting it to be quite so soon."_

_"They're here."_

_All eyes turned to the only woman in the room. Her face had gone still but for a thin crease of concentration on her forehead. For a moment no one moved. Then Kunimitsu found himself being hurried out of the room by the healer as his parents moved as one into the hall and towards the front door. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his grandfather reaching into the hearth, apparently unbothered by the flames, and he sensed the hum of power as those bright snakes of light spiraled up over his grandfather's arm and over his body until the old man was aglow with an orange gold halo and the hearth was empty but for a blackened lump of wood amidst powdered ash._

_A little taken aback by the display, he sought to turn, but the healer's iron grip on his shoulder prevented him and he was out the back door before he knew that his feet had started moving. Rain lashed across his face, turning his glasses into a fractured kaleidoscope through which he could make out nothing but whirling patches of darkness. He stumbled in the soft mud of the path. The hand on his shoulder tightened impossibly and hauled him forward regardless until he was running. It wasn't until the dull roar of the swollen river reached their ears that they slowed._

_"I have a son about your age," the healer had told him as they hurried through the night. It seemed to Kunimitsu a completely irrelevant piece of information but the man appeared to feel some great need to fill the air with words so he remained silent. If the man needed a distraction, it was not his place to object. And yet he couldn't help but strain his ears in a vain attempt to catch any sound drifting from the direction from which they had come. Why were there no other footsteps? Should not at least someone have caught up to them by now? Even his grandfather could run faster than most of Sanko's residents. Perhaps it was the rain, it masked most sounds and the growing rumble of river rapids only aided in the concealment._

"Tezuka."

Someone was shaking him lightly. Forcing his eyes open he found himself face to face with Fuji. He blinked, taking a moment to collect his thoughts and let the fog of sleep slip away.

"Is it my turn to stand watch?"

"About, but that's not it." Fuji was whispering and Tezuka realized that the night had gone still. He tensed, the last traces of sleep fleeing his mind in an instant.

"What is it?" he inquired, voice barely even a whisper.

Fuji held a finger to his lips then gestured off at the screen of trees to one side of the clearing. Tezuka's brows furrowed as he strained his ears. There were voices—faint but unquestionably human. He started to rise, mind racing for a way to get the horses out of sight, but Fuji put a hand on his shoulder and shook his head.

"They'll pass us," he murmured. "Just stay still."

Gradually the muffled voices resolved themselves into words.

"…don't understand why we still have to go and tell him we're here," an extremely annoyed voice was complaining. "I mean, we've already got permission to search the place and we _know_ they know we do."

"Yes, but when has that mattered to the lieutenant? There are some forces it is best not to trifle with."

The first speaker snorted but there was a distinct note of discomfort hidden beneath his derision. "I still don't see why it has to be us going. Atobe's the captain, he should be the one tramping into the demon's den."

"In case you have forgotten, we are not in the best of graces at the moment," came the dry reply as the voices drew away. "I would highly suggest…"

The voices faded into the distance and Fuji let out an almost inaudible sigh and sat back on his heels. Several seconds more slipped by in tense silence before both sorcerers relaxed.

"We should go," Tezuka murmured, eyes losing focus for a moment as he cast careful mental fingers out questing amidst the trees in search of further disturbances. For the moment the night seemed safe. "There may be others."

Fuji nodded, getting to his feet before casting a curious look in Tezuka's direction. "You were frowning in your sleep. Bad dream?"

Tezuka paused a moment then shook his head. "Just memories."

He had never thought of them as dreams. Dreams were supposed to be creations of the mind—the embodiment of thoughts and emotions set free by the mind's wild brush. They could sometimes reflect the present or the past, and in the case of seers even the future, but they were not orderly things and were never meant to be. No, he did not dream. Instead his sleep had always been filled with memories when they had anything in them at all. They were always vivid and chronologically accurate within themselves, as though something within himself was trying to remind him not to forget because to forge would be too much like saying they no longer mattered.

Fuji was watching him now with slightly raised eyebrows. Tezuka half expected the other sorcerer to question his response, but he didn't. Instead they gathered their things, went over the campsite with meticulous care to obliterate any signs of inhabitation, then the four of them, two humans and two horses, disappeared into the thick shadows of the forest night.

X

He had seen many things in his time for it had always been his duty to see—to see and to remember. Sometimes, near the beginning, he had wondered if anyone could truly be content with a fate such as his, to watch but not to interfere, but there was a certain joy in being allowed to observe as the paths of existence unfolded and gradually the concern had become irrelevant. Over time he had come to record these memories on paper, partially because it was a way to occupy his hands but mostly because something in him couldn't help but wonder how long he had and how his knowledge would pass on if it ever came to that. Memory was, after all, one of the most precious things in the world for it was in memory that life became eternal. And yet all the millions of strange sights he had witnessed in his years had not prepared him for being _there_—in the midst of the darkness with his companions incapacitated and a malevolent presence bearing down upon them—and even as the entrance hall came into sight he could feel the pounding of his heart and the chill of uncertainty vying with each other inside his chest.

He had seen much, but even he could not know when, what, or how things would happen. He was no seer, and he knew from experience that even if he had been the powers of divination were limited.

The last flight of steps to the floor of the entrance hall was wide and elegant despite the degenerating conditions of the mansion around it. Inui and Kaidoh had to slow their movements lest they send the unconscious Oishi tumbling down to what would doubtlessly be a painful landing. It was nerve-wracking having to walk when one wanted to run. Every few steps Inui would cast a look over his shoulder, trying to gauge how much time they had left. Part of him wanted to just go back while the steps above were still less than those below and just wait on the landing, but the rest of him knew with the clarity he had been cursed with that if they were going to make a stand then the spacious entrance hall would be far preferable to a precarious perch atop the stairs.

Boots touched entrance hall floor amidst a sea of silence that had taken on a heavy, menacing aura. Moving to the center of the hall the two laid Oishi carefully on the floor so they would both have the use of their hands when the time came. Inhaling deeply to steady his nerves, Inui turned to face the stairs. He could feel Kaidoh's confusion as the other did the same but that was when they caught sight of the others—the others and what came behind them.

X

Momoshiro saw the others first. He cried out to them, releasing his death grip on the girl to wave frantically at them. He wasn't sure if he was trying to call for help or just get their attention—or possibly warn them away, not that he really needed to do any of those things considering both Inui and Kaidoh were staring up at them with looks of grim anticipation and horror fixed on their faces respectively. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wondered why Oishi seemed to be sleeping on the stone floor behind the two, it seemed an awfully strange time for a nap, but there were more important things at hand.

Ryoma's path of ice ended abruptly beneath them and all three were tumbling down the stairs. They landed on the bottom landing in a heap of flailing limbs. Untangling himself from the mass, Ryoma scrambled to his feet and spun to face the stairs. The opening of an incantation was already on the tip of his tongue before he realized one very important thing.

The creature was gone.

It was not a reassuring discovery.

"Where…?" Momo trailed off, eyes shifting warily from side to side. His hands flexed and he wondered if he should draw his sword but something told him it wouldn't be much good. It was a galling realization.

"It's waiting."

Startled by the unfamiliar voice, they all glanced around before all four travelers focused on the girl who was now sitting on the floor. Her earlier panic seemed to have melted away to be replaced by an almost eerie calm.

"It's waiting," she said again. "It knows that is all it has to do."

"Is it?" Ryoma turned away from the stairs to give the girl a long, hard look. A small voice in the back of his mind was trying to tell him that, much as he loathed to admit it, the girl might be right—they were facing something he had no idea how to deal with, but he had never listened much to that voice in the past and he wasn't about to start now. He refused to be defeated before the battle had begun. Without waiting for an answer he headed for the main doors. He could feel the others watching him as he went.

The great double doors stood shut. He frowned at them. He couldn't remember whether they had shut the doors when they came in or if the things had shut themselves. It was irrelevant anyway. Stepping closer, he placed his hand against the carved surface—and jerked back with a yelp. His palm stung as though he had tried to grab hot coals.

"What _is_ this?" he murmured, more to himself than anyone else. It was power, clearly, but it was not a sorcerer's power. He had learned of supernatural entities and even humans who wielded energies both like and unlike that of a sorcerer, but this _thing_ wasn't so much a living thing as a presence—a source of power in itself and not a carrier of it.

"It is an embodiment."

He glanced back over his shoulder to find that Inui had come to join him. The Observer moved up beside him and tilted his head back to study the doors. "I believe some people call them demons."

"Ah." Demons had been a taboo subject among the Sorcerien. "How do we defeat it?"

Inui glanced over at him, the corner of his mouth twitching in amusement. "How, you ask? Not can we?"

"Hn."

"Well, if that is how you see it, I do have some theories."

X

Where was he?

He blinked slowly, staring out across a vast expanse of dull, red stone. It was a dry place—dry and vicious, he could feel it in the unnatural stillness of the air. The sun never set here, but it was a sun that burned.

He frowned, glancing down at himself. The gray fabric of his cloak hung limply over his shoulders but rather than the insufferable heat he would have expected the cloak felt cool and soothing against his skin, as though it had been woven not of thread but of water. And…was that a faint glow he could see around its edges?

Giving himself a sharp shake, Oishi returned his attention to the rugged, rocky landscape. He could think about his cloak later. Right now he felt…as though there was something he needed to find…

Yes, that was it. He was here to find something.

Satisfied, he started forward, his steps slightly uncertain but determined.

**TBC**

* * *

**Notes**:

The Memory: The healer in the memory is our Oishi's father, just in case it wasn't clear.

**A.N**. ...Well, this chapter didn't quite cover all the ground I was originally planning, but it started a lot of things I wasn't expecting so I guess it's even. Eiji's coming back into the story next chapter. Hopefully it won't take as long to write as the last one...? Questions, comments, and suggestions are much appreciated. They remind me I should keep working, hehe. I'm feeling a little strange right now so I will take my leave.


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